Dream Team's Dream Adventure
by FairyTalePrincess16
Summary: After receiving an invitation for a vacation at Pi'illo Island, Mario, Luigi and Peach travel there. However, things go horribly wrong and Peach is kidnapped again. With the help of familiar and unlikely allies, plus Luigi's mysterious sleep powers, Mario must venture through the real and dream worlds while discovering many secrets held in this island.
1. Welcome to Pi'illo Island!

**Here we have the fourth story of my Saga! The remake of _Mario & Luigi: Dream Team_! As I said at the end of my previous story, this game is the only one I've played. Because of that, I'm actually replaying this game while writing this story so that I can follow along! As such, more characters will be added, including veterans and new ones.**

 **Once again, another female guide will show up, but this time, she'll appear much earlier compared to the previous remakes. She'll even be mentioned in this chapter, and if you recall my Super Paper Mario remake, you'll definitely know who she is!**

 **Alright, let's enjoy Dream Team! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Welcome to Pi'illo Island!**

It has been a year since Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Peach and Bowser, the seven Star Children, saved the Mushroom World from plunging into an eternal darkness by defeating Fawful and the Dark Star. After that adventure, this group just started living their own normal lives.

 _One day… At Peach's Castle in the Mushroom Kingdom…_

Today was a very special day: at the skies above Peach's Castle, a blimp arrived and came down towards the opening in the main tower. Broggy, the block-shaped dog, was standing on the blimp's platform with a letter on his head. The blimp's bridge comes out of the platform, connecting it to the opening.

 _An invitation to Pi'illo Island was delivered in style._

How about we take a look at Broggy's letter?

' _-To Princess Peach Toadstool, Her Subjects and the Superstars-_

 _An island of luxury awaits:_

 _PI'ILLO ISLAND!_

 _My staff and my new friends I've invited wish to meet you! Some of them might be familiar to you…_

 _We're waiting for you at the castle. Come! Take a vacation with us!_

 _-From Princess Jewel Morning'_

 _The princess and some of her staff decided to take the trip to the island._

Of course, Princess Peach didn't hesitate and invited some of her Toad staff and Toadsworth onto the blimp's platform.

 _But little did they know what awaited them there… Oh, yes! Of course! We can't forget these guys!_

We all know who are missing: obviously Mario and Luigi! Mario came out of the opening by jumping onto the blimp's bridge before walking to the platform. But, wait… Where is Luigi?

Turns out that the man in green had arrived too late as the bridge started to retract back into the platform, resulting in Luigi comically pedaling in the air as he cries out in panic. Then, as soon as he began to fall, Luigi, for some reason, manages to swim into the air upwards and grab onto the platform's edge. The blimp, called the Zeeppelin, departs, with Luigi letting out a "Mama mia…" as Mario helps him climb on the platform.

As the Zeeppelin was flying peacefully into the skies, everyone was admiring the view as a sightseeing tour. However, Toadsworth was the only one unsure about the invitation:

"Pi'illo Island… Hrm… Can't say I've heard of it…" he turns to Peach: "Princess! I feel rather uneasy about this trip! I mean, remember what happened back at Delfino Island? We still have time! Let's return home!"

"BROOF!" Broggy snarled at Toadsworth.

"AAH!" Toadsworth screamed and ran behind Peach.

"Oh, Toadsworth! Don't be silly! I'm pretty sure nothing will happen! Plus, Delfino Island was quite close to the Mushroom Kingdom, and this Pi'illo Island seems further out." Peach said.

"She has a point. With that, it will take time for Bowser to find us." Mario threw in.

" ***sigh*** if you say so…" Toadsworth sighed before coming out of hiding.

Broggy then turned around and a monitor appeared in his back, showing an elderly-like person, catching everyone's attention.

"Who's this?" Luigi wondered.

" _Mm-yes, hello. Nice meeting you. I am the proprietor of Pi'illo Island! I am Dr. Snoozemore anzzz…"_ the person named Dr. Snoozemore spoke…until he fell asleep.

"Is he…asleep?" a Toad tilted his head.

" _Oops! Please excuse me… As you may have guessed, I am researching the science of sleep. Mm-yes, and on Pi'illo Island… There's a special power that makes you sleep soundzzz…"_ he falls asleep again.

"A special sleep power?! What poppycock!" Toadsworth scoffed. "Scoundrel! Wake up and explain yourself!"

" _Mm-heh heh… This is no time for a lecture. Now, I ask that you relax… Be at ease until you reach the island, and enjoy your trip… Mm-heh… Yes, relax with the dog… Your fellow passengers… And that OTHER passenger… He is VERY interesting… Mm-heh…"_ once he finishes, he falls asleep once again and Broggy shuts down the monitor.

"Other passenger? What did he meant by that?" Mario asked.

"I don't know. But for some reason, I'm getting a bad feeling about this…" Peach trailed.

Suddenly, a purple pillow-like thing fell onto the platform.

"What's THAT?!" Toadsworth's eyes widened.

Just then, purple smoke came out from the pillow, and a pair of hands shoved almost everyone out of the blimp. Luigi was also caught in the middle, but luckily, he managed to hold on to the side of the platform. Next, a pair of yellow eyes appeared within the smoke before turning into a sinister dark figure that did not look friendly at all.

"I don't know who you are, but you're going to pay for what you've done to the ones you flung out of the blimp!" Mario glared at the dark figure while standing in his fighting stance.

He quickly leaps into action and stomps the dark figure's head. Then, on its turn of attacking, the dark figure splits itself into many bats, who started to fly after Mario, but he dodged them and stomps its head again once the bats combined themselves again into the dark figure.

After a bit more stomps, the dark figure faces defeat in front of Mario. However, when it seemed that it was over, the dark figure flies into the blimp's balloon, creating a hole in it and one of its ropes snapped. Everyone who remained on the blimp paled by that.

"Uh oh…" Luigi sweatdropped.

In an instant, the blimp starts to fall down straight to the island, only that the clouds were in the way.

"OH NOOOO!" Mario panicked.

The Zeeppelin, Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toadsworth, which were the only ones who remained, were falling down as smoke was coming out of the hole in the balloon. In the middle of this event, Broggy came down, showing the monitor with Dr. Snoozemore announcing:

" _NEXT STOP, PI'ILLO ISLAND!"_

"NOT HELPIIIIIIIIING!" Peach yelled.

Once the clouds cleared out, we can see a brief view of Pi'illo Island from above, with a forest to the east, a desert to the southeast, a tall mountain to the north, a port to the west, and a beach coast to the southwest, with the castle residing in the very middle. The blimp fell closer…, closer…, and dangerously closer to the island's Blimport, where it crashed. Sounds of sirens echoed as the screen turned black.

* * *

However, all of this turned out to be a nightmare from Luigi. In truth, the Zeeppelin landed safely and normally on the Blimport. Luigi was lying on the blimp's platform, moaning and groaning while shaking uncontrollably and making erratic hand and leg movements, since he was having that nightmare we just witnessed.

Then, Luigi woke up in a startle. He was so frightened by the nightmare that he ends up running back and forth on the platform in panic…until he accidentally tripped on the platform's edge, and he faceplants on the ground. Three Toads went to him, and one of them asked:

"Luigi! Were you dreaming again?!"

"Sounded like an epic nightmare…" another Toad remarked. "YO! We arrived at Pi'illo Island! Luigi! Dude! WAKE UP!"

"Mm, yes… Here at last!" Toadsworth exclaimed. "What shall we do first?"

"Well, first of all, we should meet Princess Jewel at the castle, as her letter said so." Peach said.

Then, a group of block people came to them, and the female one welcomed:

"Welcome to… Pi'illo Island! We've been waiting for you to arrive! Allow us to show you around! Let's head to Pi'illo Castle, where the princess and her friends are waiting for you!"

"Wait a moment!" Toadsworth called out. "I understand the proprietor is one Dr. Snoozemore, correct? Humph! Yes, well, Princess Peach traveled far for this visit… And I must say, I find it a touch rude that he's not present to greet us."

"Please, Toadsworth, it's no matter…" Peach shook her head.

"Ah yes, that reminds me! I should've mentioned… Regrettably, Dr. Snoozemore is away on a business errand. He's traveling far and wide by the order of our highness to spread the word about her homeland. You know, to boost tourism!" the female Brock explained.

"Oh, we understand." Mario replied.

"As such, he asked that I mention that it will be a short while before he can greet you in person. Well, just follow down the road to reach Pi'illo Castle! Don't keep our princess waiting!" she then leaves.

"Ooh, how very exciting! Let's go, everyone!" Peach squealed.

"Okey-Dokey!" Mario nodded as everyone went down the road. " _I just hope Luigi wakes up soon… He's missing all the fun in here!_ " Mario thought as he took one last look at Luigi, still downed on the floor, before following the group.

The road was filled with all sorts of the Pi'illo Island's staff, creating a path for the group, cheering as they pass by. Soon, they've arrived at an area where some kind of quiz was happening. There was a large green panel with a checkmark on the left, and a large red panel with an 'X' taking the other half. The quiz's host was none other than Broque Monsieur as he begins to speak:

"PEOPLES! YOU WISH TO SEE ZEE PI'ILLO CASTLE, HONH?"

"YEAH!" the crowd around him cheered.

"YOU DESIRE… ZEE COINS?"

"YEAH!"

"YOU FEEL… ZEE PASSIONS?"

"YEAH!"

"Zen off we go! Zee 612th… PI'ILLO ISLAND WELCOME QUIZ!"

"YEAH!"

"Allez! Let us not delay, honh? Zis is Pi'illo Island's Welcome Quiz! I am, how you say, zee MC… I am also zee tour guide… Zat squarish fellow with zee golden hue! Oui! Zat is moi, Broque Monsieur! Welcome, très jolie Princess Peach! …And other, less jolie people, also." Then, he looks at Mario. "Honh? Ah! You over zere! In zee red, with zee mustache… Oui, I feel we have met before, vous and moi…"

"You think so?" Mario asked.

"Oui… But zis does not matter… For now is island-game time!" he pulls out some golden coins. "You crave zis, honh? Oui. Zen answer correctly! Ah, but do not fear zee failure! Zere is no penalty for wrongness! At worst, you will learn zee fun island facts and win a coin or deux! Zis sounds like zee very pinnacle of fun welcome activity, oui?"

"How delightful! How fun!" Peach giggled.

"Oui, what fun indeed, honh?! Zen let zee fun begin! For zee appetizer… ZEE CHECK-X QUIZ!"

"YESSSS!" the crowd cheered.

"Allez-vous! Here we go! Check-X Quiz go time!"

Mario and his friends step back a bit, as Broque Monsieur begins his first question:

"Question 1! Zis island is named Pi'illo Island!"

"…That's obvious." Mario said as he, Peach, Toadsworth and a Toad went to the green panel, while the other four Toads went to the red one…for some reason.

"Zee correct answer is…Pi'illo Island!" Broque Monsieur announced, and offered the first stack of coins to the winners.

"Really? This question was so easy! Why did you all went there?" the Toad who got the correct answer questioned.

"Sorry, dude… Something slipped off our minds…" one of the Toads replied.

"All right. We move on, oui? To question 2!" Broque Monsieur says the second question as everyone stepped out of the panels: "Zee proprietor of zis island…is called Dr. Sneezemore!"

"Ha! We got this one in the bag!" a Toad exclaimed as he, two more Toads, Toadsworth and Mario walked to the red panel, while the other two Toads and Peach went to the green panel.

"Zee correct answer is…Dr. SNOOZEmore!" Broque Monsieur announced, offering the rest of the coins to the winners.

"I got wrong again?!" a Toad who also got wrong previously complained.

"My… That one got me. I didn't even realize the small mispronunciation…" Peach sighed.

"And… Zee Check-X Quiz ends!" Broque Monsieur said. "We hope zis was fun, honh? A fun welcome! We meet again at zee Pi'illo Castle, where zee princess waits. Oui! Au revoir, peoples!" he leaves to the road below.

"Yes, we should hasten to Pi'illo Castle as well! I just can't wait to meet another princess!" Peach exclaimed.

Everyone nodded and moved on. Once they were nearly reaching the castle, suddenly, both paths were blocked!

"Oh hoh!" they heard Broque Monsieur's laugh. They looked at him, but he looked different…his head was upside down and a dark aura was surrounding his body. "Impressive, to see you come zis far… I applaud zee spirit!" he spoke in a dark tone. "But zee happy times, zey end right NOW! Now is supper time! And zee supper…is you!"

"Dinner? Us? What drivel!" Toadsworth huffed.

"Honh honh honnnnh… Ah oui, for zat is why we brought you here… You will be served to zee hongry monsters! Voilà!"

A cage opened up, freeing two Grombas as Broque Monsieur continues:

"Zey are famished! Ah, oui! Zey honger!"

"Dear man… You're mad!" Toadsworth flinched.

"Non! YOU are mad! And I repeat, you are… MONSTER SUPPER!"

"Surely, you jest!"

"Mais non, zis is no jest! Succumb to zee fears! All will be monster-snacked! Zee hongry beasts will feed! OH HONH HONH!"

"EEEEK!" the Toads shrieked before backing off.

"Princess! We must flee!" Toadsworth panicked as he and Peach stepped back, leaving Mario to fight the Grombas by himself.

By using his stomping abilities at the Grombas, Mario easily defeats them.

"Boy, what's the meaning of this?" Mario questioned confused. "He can't possibly mean to feed us to monsters…"

"If so, then we are in dire straits indeed!" Toadsworth stated. "Master Mario! Things have taken a turn for the rather dangerous!"

"Oh honh! Dangerous indeed!" Broque Monsieur's voice came from up ahead. The group approaches him slowly, and he speaks: "At last you come! I am kept waiting for too long! Zat did not quite go to plan either… Non… But zee backfire has only made mon wrath grow! Voilà!"

Another cage opened up, releasing another Gromba.

"Seriously? Another one?" Mario sassed.

"Oui! But zis one is stronger! Oui, and ravenous! Prepare for nibbling! Zis ends only when zee last morsel is snacked! Now! Bitez him!"

Mario braces himself for the attack…only for the Gromba to fall asleep.

"Oh… Ah! Mm? Wake up! Now! Lazy monster! Zis is not nap time!" Broque Monsieur growled.

"Too bad for that!" Mario smirked before stomping the Gromba, and then kicking it into the water.

"Well, zat is zat…" Broque Monsieur settled, removing his head and flipping it back to how he usually looked like. "Zere were mistakes here and zere… But zis was quite zee spectacle, non?"

"Wait, are you telling us that…this was an act?" Toadsworth asked.

"But of course! Zis was but one of many events prepared for vous! You felt zee passions, non? Monster supper, indeed!"

"Oh, I'm so relieved! My heart almost stopped!" Peach said in relief.

"Honh, oui, zat is satisfactory. Now, let us stop wasting time and continue onward! And sorry for pulling vous legs!" then, both pathways open again. "Princess Jewel, she lies just before us! We are un moment away! Come!" he went on ahead.

"Ahh, looks like we shall reach proper lodging at last." Toadsworth smiled.

"Mario, thank you for seeing us here safely." Peach thanked.

"You're welcome." Mario replied. "Although… Now that I think of it, whatever happened to my brother?"

"I dunno. Might he still be dozing?" one of the Toads guessed.

"You're kidding! Luigi wouldn't ooze THAT much, come on."

"Well, then... How about we go on ahead?" Peach suggested.

They all agreed with her and moved on, ready to meet the princess and the group she invited.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **So, there's the introduction! So far, no new characters appeared in here, but the gang will all show up in the next chapter! Some of those characters that'll be part of the main team might surprise you! Until then! Don't forget to review!  
**


	2. Break at Pi'illo Castle

**Here we'll see the characters that I've mentioned!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Break at Pi'illo Castle**

Mario, Peach, Toadsworth and the Toads followed the road leading to Pi'illo Castle. As soon as they were approaching the front, they heard a voice from behind:

"WAIT FOR MEEEE!"

It was from Luigi, who was rushing to them…until he trips and face-plants to the ground.

"Luigi! There you are! I was worried about you!" Mario exclaimed.

"Master Luigi! You are LATE!" Toadsworth growled.

"Well! I'm glad you made it in time! We were worried you'd never show." Peach smiled. "Now, come on, let's meet the princess!"

They walked a bit more, and finally saw said princess standing at the front of the castle. She was a woman in her early 20's sharing the same height as Melissa. Additionally, her face was also oval with delicate skin, brown eyes with pink eyeshadow and pink lips; she had the same facial features as Melissa, as well as looking similar to her. Her hair was also black, but unlike Melissa's short hair, hers was long and tied up in a ponytail. Her outfit is a long, golden gown with a short-sleeved golden shrug that covered her shoulders and half of her top with a frilly collar, and long white evening gloves were donning her hands. Both her gown and shrug were decorated with many gemstones like emeralds, rubies, jades, aquamarines, amethysts, fire opals, topazes, pink tourmalines, pearls and moonstones. Golden heels donned her feet, a platinum crown with diamonds donned her head, and finally, diamond-shaped earrings were donning her ears.

"Oh! You're finally here!" she beamed with happiness. "So you did receive my letter!"

"It's an honor to meet you, Princess Jewel!" Peach bowed.

"With my pleasure. And I see you also brought your staff and the Superstars of the Mushroom Kingdom! Great to meet you!"

"So you said in your letter that you also invited some friends to this island too, right?" Mario guessed.

"Oh, yes! Right! Allow me to introduce them to you! Starting with this guy right here!"

None other than Sonic stepped in!

"Heh, about time you guys showed up! I was getting inpatient!" he grinned.

"Wow, Sonic! I actually can't believe Jewel has invited you!" Mario beamed.

"Yeah, it's been so long, Mario! I've heard from Jewel that you guys went on an adventure while inside Bowser! That nearly blew my mind!"

"Even though I've found it kinda of gross at the beginning, I had fun too." Luigi said.

"And now here we are; together, once again, enjoying a nice vacation!" Sonic spoke while placing his hands behind his head.

"Absolutely, Master Sonic!" Toadsworth nodded while adjusting his glasses.

Then, Sonic began to show an expression of concern as he checks his watch on his wrist. This got Mario worried:

"Umm, is everything okay, Sonic?"

"What? No, it's nothing. It's just… I've also invited my friends Tails, Amy, Silver, Knuckles, Rouge and Blaze for this vacation. While we were waiting for you, they decided to go check some areas in this island. But for some reason, they haven't come back ever since!" Sonic replied with worry in his voice.

"You don't have to worry that much, Sonic. I made sure nothing bad will happen in here, so I'm pretty sure your friends will show up soon. It's not like anything bad happened to them." Jewel assured.

"Did you forget that I also gave each of my friends a Chaos Emerald? I kept one of them with me." Sonic showed his blue Chaos Emerald.

"You brought the Chaos Emeralds?" Mario questioned.

"I did. That way, if my friends are close, the emeralds should react. But mine isn't reacting!"

"Let's worry about that later, Sonic. I still need to introduce my other friends." Jewel reminded.

"All right, fine."

"Hi, Mario and Luigi!" Yoshi was the next one to step in.

"Yoshi!" both brothers exclaimed in unison.

"I haven't seen you guys since we adventured in Bowser's insides!"

"You see, Yoshi is one of my best friends in the Mushroom World, so that's why I invited him!" Jewel smiled. "And why I said only the Mushroom World? Because my other friends behind me are from different worlds, but two of them are from a different period!" she begins to turn around as she speaks: "I'd like you to meet…"

Behind Jewel were two rather familiar babies playing along with a small pink puffball, while a girl with a yellow ribbon-looking hair was watching them.

"Hey, guys! They're here!" Jewel called for them.

Her friends turned around. Immediately, the two babies rushed towards Mario and Luigi, which left both brothers with their eyes widened. Why? Because these babies were Baby Mario and Baby Luigi!

"You're here! You're here!" Baby Luigi exclaimed.

"What's up, older us?" Baby Mario said.

"No way! Our younger selves were invited too?!" Luigi was surprised.

"My sister sent words to me last year about your baby selves. She said that Veronica told her that Baby Mario and Baby Luigi wanted to come back to this period for a vacation. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to invite them here too!" Jewel explained.

"Oh, I see!" Mario piped up. "You know, we kind of missed our baby selves actually, so we're glad that we're able to see them again." He smiled at his younger self, who smiled back.

"Poyo!" the pink ball stepped forward this time.

"Oh! And who's this adorable little creature?" Peach asked.

"Hi! I'm Kirby! Nice to meet you!" Kirby waved.

"He's from a distant planet called Popstar. I thought he deserves a break after many adventures he lived in his home, Dream Land." Jewel spoke.

"So you have adventures in your world too?" Mario asked.

"Yep! I've had many adventures involving saving my planet from an evil butterfly queen or from some invaders from a company that tried to robotize it." Kirby answered.

"Interesting."

"And now for the last friend I've invited… She's quite an interesting girl." Jewel snickered.

"Hello~!" the girl stepped in with a singing voice.

This girl was a teenager with yellow hair that looked like a yellow ribbon with a green middle stripe, tied up in a ponytail by a normal pink ribbon with a middle white stripe. There were two yellow ribbon-like short thin locks framing her face. She was wearing a pink mask with green outlines for the holes, she had bright blue eyes with blue eyeshadow, yellow eyebrows and bright lips. Her outfit was a wine-colored sleeveless shirt with a noticeable collar, and a short block top with a white symbol that looked like a heart with a stylized 'R' in the middle layered over the shirt, a pink miniskirt with a white stripe and small pleats, short black tights, and pink short boots with black bottoms and stitches. There were also blue round earrings donning her ears like Peach's, but hers were much smaller.

But the most noticeable detail in her were her arms: they looked like they were made of a long tangled pink ribbon with a middle white stripe. Her hands were pink, making it look like she was just wearing gloves, and yellow bow bracelets were donning her wrists. This girl looked friendly and energetic.

"So you're the famous Super Mario Brothers! I'm your biggest fan!" she squealed. "Pleasure to meet you! I'm Ribbon Girl, a famous Pop-Star singer!"

"Thanks, I guess." Mario responded.

"Oh, it's okay! I know you guys don't have time for autographs! Me neither! Believe me! I've got so many fans around here and they're all wanting my autographs!" Ribbon Girl spoke awkwardly.

" _Oh my god, she's so hilarious!_ " Luigi thought while laughing on the inside. "So you've got fans here?"

"I do! In fact, another reason why Jewel invited me for this vacation is because I'm actually going to perform live-stage!" Ribbon Girl exclaimed. "If I recall, this stage is located at Wakeport, and I heard that while my show isn't happening, some Mad Skillathon event is taking place. Don't even ask me what that event is." She then changes the subject while looking at the baby brothers. "While we were waiting for you, I was just watching your baby selves playing with Kirby. Gosh, you guys were so cute as babies!"

These words made Mario and Luigi smile while blushing a little.

"Alright, now that we're done with the introductions, how about we head to my castle?" Jewel suggested.

"Yeah!" everyone exclaimed.

Mario and Luigi held each of their younger selves' hands before walking towards the castle with the rest. On the outside, the castle looks like a large stone structure with long vines and vegetation growing, with the symbol of the Pi'illos near the entrance. Above the entrance is a Zeekeeper face. They find Broque Monsieur at the entrance and Jewel stands on his side and facing the group.

"Welcome! Oui, welcome!" Broque Monsieur welcomed. "Welcome to Pi'illo Castle! Are we enjoying zee good times so far? Oui. Your faces tell me zis is true!"

"Well, it certainly was exciting…" Peach said.

"Ohh! Sweet princess! Zese words give me joy! Zee heart, it soars! Zee dreams, zey are true! And now, let us enter zee castle, s'il vous plaît!"

"It's an honor, Broque Monsieur!" Jewel bowed. "Follow us!"

Everyone nodded and followed both inside.

* * *

Inside, Pi'illo Castle looked like a luxurious hotel, with walls and floors made out of stone, pink carpets were decorating some parts of the floor, and some other decorations were placed to make it feel like a modern medieval castle. As the group came in, they saw a certain Star Sprite up ahead looking around:

"Hmmm… So much to see… I don't know where to start!"

"Oh! Look! It's Starlow!" Peach squealed.

"Princess Peach! Toadsworth!" Starlow flew to them.

"Jewel invited you to the island as well?"

"That's right. I've invited her to represent the Star Sprites." Jewel told. "Not to mention that she proved to be helpful to you and the other Star Children during that last adventure last year, right?"

"She sure did." Mario nodded.

"Mario!" Starlow noticed him. "It's been so long! I haven't seen you since our last adventure Jewel just mentioned! I imagine Princess Peach is relieved to have you around!"

"Starlow! Don't forget about me!" Luigi called out.

"Oh… Hey, Luigi. Haven't seen you in a while either! Of course, I'm sure it's a relief to have you here too… I mean, I WOULD say that, but seriously… Just… LOOK at you! You look totally ragged! Did you get mugged or something?! And you JUST got here! How are you so run down already?"

"Uh… Er… Well…" Luigi mused as he looks at his clothes.

"Don't be silly, Luigi! I'm pretty sure she was joking!" Ribbon Girl rolled her eyes playfully.

"Oh, hello you all there! Are you Mario's friends?" Starlow asked while looking at the group she doesn't recognize.

"We are! Nice to meet you, Starlow! I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario's childhood friend!" Sonic introduced.

"My name is Kirby! I'm a warrior from a distant planet!" Kirby introduced next.

"I'm Ribbon Girl, a Pop-Star singer." Ribbon Girl spoke.

"Very nice names! And…who are these little tykes?" Starlow eyed at the babies.

"Oh! Let's just say that they're Mario and Luigi from the past." Jewel interfered.

"Hiya!" Baby Mario waved.

"Mario and Luigi from the past, huh? I gotta say, you guys were really adorable as babies!" Starlow smiled, making the babies chuckle cutely. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all! HELLO YELLO!"

"Hello…yello?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"That's her catchphrase." Mario responded.

"Oh! Oh! Excusez-moi!" Broque Monsieur called out. Everyone looked at him. "How about we continue zee tour?"

"Sure." Jewel nodded and stood in front of everyone along with Broque Monsieur.

"Zis castle, Pi'illo Castle… You must walk around it. Oui, you must touch many things… You must banter with zee princess' staff… And you must sightsee! Oui! Sightsee zis castle like crazy! Zee tidbits of information about zee island, zey will sprinkle down… Oui, and zey will guide you how best to enjoy zis paradise."

"Oh, and by the way…" Jewel continued. "Don't forget the, how you say, gift shop? This shop is located on the first room to the right." she directs the group to the right side. "You can go in there to buy many souvenirs of this vacation. Please, take your time exploring my castle."

"Once you have sampled zee sightseeing, return to us, s'il vous plaît. Now allez!" Broque Monsieur finished before he and Jewel walked on ahead.

"Lovely! Let's tour the castle, then." Peach invited.

"Sure! I'll go checking the gift shop." Ribbon Girl went to the gift shop.

"We'll go there too! Come on, Luigi!" Baby Mario exclaimed while taking Baby Luigi's hand.

"Okay!" Baby Luigi nodded and they went to the gift shop as well.

"Is there any food in here? I'm so hungry!" Yoshi looked around and decided to search for food at the gift shop.

"Let's head there as well for some items!" Mario suggested.

"Sure thing!" Luigi nodded and they went to the gift shop.

Peach, Sonic, Kirby, the Toads, Toadsworth and Starlow, on the other hand, were checking the tourism center for information of the various places of the island. At the gift shop, Ribbon Girl was looking through all the souvenirs through a glass dome.

"T-shirts, figurines, magnets, stickers,…" Ribbon Girl was looking through the items. "…oh! Badges! Hmm… I would like this one." She points to a badge showing the entire island.

"That'll be ten coins." The Shelltop at the counter told her.

Ribbon Girl pays for the badge with her 10 coins.

"Thanks." The Shelltop thanked.

"I'll use this at the time of my show." Ribbon Girl puts the badge in her pocket.

Mario and Luigi were looking at the items that aid them in battle at the item shop.

"Let's see… Mushrooms, Nuts, Syrup Jars, Star Candies, 1-Up Mushrooms, Refreshing Herbs… Geez, that's a lot of items!" Mario was surprised by the amount of items.

"We should buy some of them, at least." Luigi suggested.

"You're right. We'll take five Mushrooms, three Nuts, and one Syrup Jar."

"That's twenty coins in total." The Shelltop told.

Mario and Luigi paid him 20 coins, with each brother having ten coins each to make twenty.

"Thanks." The Shelltop packs their items in a sack and hands to Mario.

Mario and Luigi then saw Baby Mario and Baby Luigi on the right corner of the room, currently playing a game of 'rock, paper, scissors'. By the time the adult brothers looked at them, Baby Mario had won the round by sending out paper, beating Baby Luigi's rock. Mario and Luigi cracked a smile at the two children.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying the castle and what it was offering…but they were unaware that there was a secret deep inside…

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Did some of you never expect some of these characters to show up? Well, I'll explain why I've added each of those characters:  
**

 **For Sonic, I think he and his friends would fit with the storyline I've invented for them. You're about to see it in later chapters. For Yoshi, I've added him in because there's a specific area in Pi'illo Island that has a reference to the Yoshi's Island series. Unlike the previous story, Yoshi won't join the party throughout the whole story; characters that just aid the main heroes in a certain area I refer to as Supporting Characters (which was the same case for Sonic's friends in my Superstar Saga story).**

 **For Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, there were two reasons why I've added them in. The first one would be the same case as Yoshi, since they also showed up in the Yoshi's Island series. The second one would be that the theme of the game kind of fits them: kids enjoy anything imaginary and magical, in which I'm relating to the Dream Worlds. Plus, I'm pretty sure they'll enjoy this adventure more than that dark-themed adventure with the Shroobs! ;)**

 **For Kirby, I think that's quite obvious: he lives in a world related to dreams, of course! Not to mention that his world's name is DREAM Land! Additionally, some Dream World songs I've heard in the game has a Kirby vibe to them.**

 **Now for Ribbon Girl, I'm guessing that was the character that you would never expect to show in. Thing is, I've kind of got used to her character in _ARMS_ that she became one of my favorite characters (she even appears in my favorites in my profile. Additionally, all of the characters mentioned here all appear in my favorites). I decided to add her because I was inspired by that stage at Wakeport that looks like an actual stage for singers to perform. I also think that her ARMS might be useful for our group during some battles! :)**

 **And the female guide, it's none other than my own OC, Princess Jewel! I picked her since her major power represents the theme of the game perfectly. Since she'll be representing me, expect some fourth-wall breaks in this story. :P**

 **What secret lies into the castle? Find out later! Please review.**


	3. Beneath Pi'illo Castle

**This one took a while since I had many things to do at the morning.**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Beneath Pi'illo Castle**

Once the group was done taking their time at the castle's lobby, they all went back to Broque Monsieur and Princess Jewel standing at the middle of other accessible rooms.

"Done with zee sightseeing? Very well, zen! Attention! Princess Peach and companions! Zere is an attraction space just ahead of here, oui?" Broque Monsieur spoke.

"And in it, we have prepared the special event for you. So we ask that you try it, please! And enjoy!" Jewel finished.

Eventually, the door at the middle opened up, and everyone went in.

On the other side, there was a platform having the appearance of a stage with no lights standing in the middle of the room.

"What is this room?" Kirby asked.

Suddenly, the lights went out as a buzzing noise came in.

"What what?!" Toadsworth looked around confused.

"Mmm-yes, welcome! To Pi'illo Island!" Dr. Snoozemore's voice came in.

Everyone then looked up ahead and saw a movie screen. The projector turns on, showing Dr. Snoozemore on the screen. Everyone looked astonished.

"I am the administrator of this island, Dr. Snoozemore… Mm-yes, and I should like to tell you of the island's lore…"

"Who's that?" Sonic whispered to Jewel.

"He's Dr. Snoozemore, the island's proprietor." Jewel whispered back. "Right now, he's studying about the missing Pi'illo people. For some reason, he knows more than I do about this island's story."

"And why is that?"

"I… I absolutely have no memory about my past… I can't remember a thing! Neither from where I came from…"

Sonic felt bad for Jewel. As the movie screen started to show the whole island in black and white, Mario and Luigi noticed that their younger selves could barely see because of the Toad's caps blocking their way. They then decide to pick each of their toddler selves up, carrying them on their laps. Baby Mario and Baby Luigi made a nod to their older selves as thanks, and they nodded back.

With that, everyone listened closely to Dr. Snoozemore's story as he begins to tell it:

"A long time ago on this island… The Pi'illo folk lived in this place and called it the Pi'illo Kingdom. But then, over a short span… The Pi'illo Kingdom suddenly fell and was no more… What happened to the Pi'illo Kingdom? Mm-yes, this question lingers… It is but one of the mysteries that we are actively trying to solve today… Indeed, another of these mysteries sleeps deep within Pi'illo Castle… Some say a treasure hides there since the time of the Pi'illo Kingdom… The deeper passages have only recently been discovered. What treasure do you suppose sleeps in this cazzzzz…zzZZzz."

Since the doctor fell asleep, the movie ended. The lights turned on again, and Peach walks closer to the platform.

"Oh my! Fascinating!" she beamed. Then, she actually steps onto the platform. "So there's a treasure sleeping somewhere in this castle! What sort of treasure do you suppose would sleep here?"

However, no one in the room noticed that the movie screen split in half, revealing a secret passageway with tracks behind the platform.

"Your Highness, please! Step down at once! I sense calamity!" Toadsworth trailed as he stepped on the platform.

"You know, he does have a point." Jewel stated as she also steps on the platform.

Suddenly, the platform does a rumble, with orange rockets appearing on both sides, and eventually, it blasts into the tunnel.

"OH NO!" Starlow yelled.

"Peach! Toadsworth! Jewel!" Yoshi cried out.

"It took off with them!" Sonic's eyes widened.

"Oh, that's bad!" Ribbon Girl whimpered.

"You!" Starlow growled as she flies close to Broque Monsieur's face. "Why is there a moving rocket platform there in the first place?!"

"Ah! Oui! I must tell you, back zere we found zis ancient hidden area. Zat platform was only recently installed for zee exploring… But it is in zee testing place! Or at least it was…" Broque Monsieur explained. "Zee pressure of zee petit footsies activated zee mechanism, honh? Oui! Tecnology, c'est magnifique!"

"Never heard of anyone talking about technology until now…" Sonic sassed.

"So just what's back there, anyway?" Starlow asked. "Nothing dangerous, right? RIGHT?"

"I have not gone back zere myself. Non. Too damp for moi. But I hear… Zere is something back zere, oui. Something protects zee treasure…" Broque Monsieur pondered.

"Great… Princess Peach, Toadsworth and Princess Jewel are in there with some ancient thing?!"

As Starlow was saying that, the same platform came back. But, of course, there was no one riding it.

"Platform is back!" Baby Mario exclaimed.

"With no one…" Baby Luigi added.

"Mario! Luigi! You have to get after them, and quickly!" Starlow insisted.

"Leave it to us." Mario nodded.

"We'll go too!" Sonic said as he, the babies, Kirby and Ribbon Girl stepped forward.

"Right."

"Wait, aren't you coming, Yoshi?" Luigi noticed that Yoshi was the only one who didn't step forward.

"Nah, I'll stick around and look for food." Yoshi shook his head. "Good luck, guys!"

"Make that platform work again!" Starlow said to Broque Monsieur.

"Euh… Oui. Very well." He replied.

Mario, Luigi, Sonic, Kirby, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and Ribbon Girl all stepped on the platform as it took off like last time.

* * *

Once the platform reached its end, it came to an abrupt stop, and everyone was launched towards the wall. Mario and Sonic just wall-jumped off the wall, Kirby just floats away, Ribbon Girl kicks off the wall and stretches her arms like two springs to grab Baby Mario and Baby Luigi in her hands before they both hit the wall…and Luigi unfortunately faceplants into the wall.

"Phew, that was close!" Kirby sighed once he releases air from his mouth to deflate.

"Thanks, Ribbon Girl!" Baby Mario thanked.

"No problem!" Ribbon Girl replied while winking.

"Hey, where's Luigi?" Mario asked while looking around.

"I think he's still on the wall…" Sonic sweatdropped.

Everyone watched Luigi slowly sliding down the wall until he landed on his bottom on the floor.

"Oooooogh…" Luigi groaned as he got back up, looking dizzy.

"Are you okay?" Mario asked in concern.

"Yep, I'm fine." Luigi replied upon shaking it off.

"Say, is it just me, or did I just saw your arms stretch when you caught Baby Mario and Baby Luigi?" Sonic questioned to Ribbon Girl. " _That reminded me a lot of my Werehog ability…_ "

"Oh, right! I forgot to tell you. You see, in the world where I'm from, there are special people who possesses arms like this. However, it is unknown how this originated. Believe me, I was kind of freaked out when I discovered that my arms could stretch like that, but I finally got used to it." Ribbon Girl explained. "With that, I am more than a singer; I am also a fighter competing in the International ARMS League Championship Tournament held every year. I was champion at the third tournament so far. I was about to win the second one…until Ninjara beat me at the semifinals and took the belt."

"That's cool! What weapons do you have with you, then?"

"I only have my three signature ARMS with me: the Sparky, the Popper, and the Slapamander. Each one has different element types. The Sparky is electric, the Popper is wind, and the Slapamander is fire."

"Neat!"

"Alright, changing the subject here." Starlow interfered. "What is this place?"

The group found themselves standing in a dark underground dungeon area. The walls and the floor were still made of stone, but some bricks in the walls looked displaced and some tiles on the floor were missing. Gloomy blue carpets were replacing the lobby's bright pink carpets and there were also vines growing out of some parts of the walls and ledges.

"For some reason, this place is creeping me out…" Kirby stuttered a little.

Just then, the flame turned purple as a dark orb with purple eyes appeared within the flames.

"Again they come… Poor fools…" it spoke.

"Speaking of creepy…" Luigi paled.

"Look upon the ghost that haunts this castle… My name, whispered in horror, is Smoldergeist… Long have I wandered these dark passages… And long have I guarded these hidden ways… None may pass through to what lies within… You must suffer the fate of all intruders! Those who trespass meet…THIS!" the flame turns back to normal.

"What the…?" Mario breathed.

Everyone looked around…until three Grombas dropped behind them from the ceiling!

"Yikes! Look behind you!" Baby Luigi flinched.

"WHOA!" the rest of the group dodged the Grombas' tackle just in time.

"What an ambush!" Sonic said surprised.

"You know what? I'll just take those guys like this!" Kirby steps forward and inhales one of the Grombas, turning into Stone Kirby, with a hat made of stone and small double horns decorating both sides of the hat. Everyone looked astonished at Stone Kirby as they watched him turning into a stone block to crush one of the Grombas before defeating the other one with a Stone Uppercut, where he turns his hand into a large stone fist.

Once the three Grombas were defeated, Kirby disables his Stone Copy Ability.

"That was…impressive!" Ribbon Girl appraised.

"Thanks!" Kirby thanked. He then explained to everyone about his inhaling and copying powers. Once he was done, Smoldergeist showed up again and spoke:

"This is not over… No. Your doom awaits deeper within! None may approach the revered one…" it disappears. Eventually, a door opens.

"Peach, Jewel and Toadsworth must have gone ahead…" Starlow guessed. "This place looks sketchy… I don't like this one bit. Let's head deeper!"

"Yeah!" everyone nodded and pressed on.

* * *

 _ **A LOT of walking and more disturbing Smoldergeist encounters later…**_

"HELP US!" the group suddenly heard Peach's voice up ahead after emerging out of a room.

They saw Peach, Jewel and Toadsworth surrounded by four versions of Smoldergeist rotating around them.

"Peach is in danger!" Starlow warned as she and the group rushed towards the trio. "Princess Peach!"

As soon as the Smoldergeists saw them, they instantly vanished.

"Did they just disappear?" Baby Mario tilted his head.

"Well… What matters is that they're safe." Ribbon Girl shrugged.

"Whew… You guys came to us! Oh, I'm so relieved…" Peach sighed in relief.

"Phew…" Toadsworth sighed. "Master Mario… It was a close shave, to be sure!"

"I helped Peach and Toadsworth flee to this chamber but we were surrounded…" Jewel told.

"I'm glad you're OK…" Mario said. "But danger aside… This place is mysterious, no?"

"True… Even I am not familiar with this secret area…" Jewel puzzled. "And that thing over there…" she directs to a chamber where an odd-looking pillow was resting on a pedestal and there was a Zeekeeper statue behind it. "Such strange architecture… I wonder what it is?"

"Look! In front of the statue!" Starlow pointed. "Check it out!"

The group walked towards the pedestal, where they saw the pillow, which was dark purple and some kind of dark aura was emanating from it.

"That's it? We came all this way for a pillow?" Sonic sassed. "Don't tell me that's the treasure!"

"Well, if it isn't the treasure, then why would it be resting in a pedestal like this one and be heavily under guard?" Ribbon Girl pointed out.

"Ribbon Girl has a point." Mario agreed as he took the pillow. "At least it's treasure, right?" he smiled.

"I guess." Sonic shrugged.

"Hey, what about these?" Kirby eyed at three sparkly pink and yellow feathers that dropped out from the pillow at the floor.

"I'm not sure, but these feathers do look pretty." Jewel smiled as she took the feathers.

"Yeah! Sparkly feathers!" Baby Luigi chirped.

"Maybe they'll be useful for something. Alright, let's get out of here."

However, as soon as they walked down the stairs, all of a sudden, an earthquake came.

"That doesn't sound good!" Luigi gulped.

"Who touches things without my leave?!" suddenly, the Zeekeeper statue spoke. "Insolent little rats! Stop your meddling! None may lay a hand on the revered one! Here! Pay the price of your transgression!" the Zeekeeper statue does a jump, frightening Peach and Toadsworth as they jumped back.

Just then, before their very eyes, the four Smoldergeists appeared around Mario and Luigi!

"WOAH!" Mario yelled in shock.

"Mario! Luigi!" Peach cried out.

The four Smoldergeists charged up their flames and spread them in four circles simultaneously. The brothers dodged the circles of fire by jumping over them. The Smoldergeists then fired part of their flames at each brother, but they dodged them.

"We can't linger like this! We have to take them out!" Mario demanded.

"Hold up! They're all on fire! How are we going to attack them?" Luigi questioned. "We'll roast our feet if we try to jump on them!"

"Don't worry, guys! I know what to do!" Ribbon Girl came in. Her arms were now extended like in the game and she had two firecracker-like gloves on her hands. "My Poppers have the wind element, so they can blow out the flames!" she then runs towards the Smoldergeists and shouts: "LET IT BLOW~!"

She instantly aims both fists at the Smoldergeists, sending out a gust of wind. Not only did the wind blow out the purple flames, but also dealt a good amount of damage to the four Smoldergeists thanks to the little stars that came out from her Poppers. This left both Mario Brothers astonished.

"Golly… That was…" Luigi was out of words.

"…Impressive?" Ribbon Girl winked while turning around. "Well, I'll leave the rest to you, Mario Brothers!"

"Thanks for the help, Ribbon Girl. We really appreciate it." Mario thanked. Ribbon Girl made a nod before heading back to the rest of the group.

The four Smoldergeists, now looking like simple dark orbs on the floor, tried to attack the Mario Brothers by just rolling towards their feet.

"Nice try!" Mario teased as he and Luigi stomp them as soon as they reached under them. "Hey! Now that they're on the floor, we can try attacking them with this item I've packed in before our travel!" Mario pulls out a red Koopa Shell. "Red Shell!"

Mario places the shell close to his feet and kicks it to one of the Smoldergeists, bouncing back towards Luigi next once it hit one of them. Luigi kicks the shell towards another Smoldergeist and the process goes on. When there was only one Smoldergeist remaining, the shell moved towards Mario, and he did a very powerful charged kick, defeating the last Smoldergeist.

"You did it!" Ribbon Girl clapped. "Super Mario Brothers, indeed!"

Then, the Zeekeeper statue behind them rumbled again and spoke:

"Arrghh… I failed… Why…did…I…fail…" it then went immobile.

Eventually, a passage possibly leading to the exit of the dungeon opened up.

"Do you think it's really safe here?" Peach asked.

"Possibly not. Just look at all the traps we've encountered!" Sonic answered. "So we better get out of here ASAP!"

"Hmm… Master Sonic, the princess is still concerned, so we both shall remain here." Toadsworth said. "Would you all mind terribly seeing if the coast is clear?"

"Sure, Toadsworth." Jewel nodded.

The group then went out to the bridge to exit this dark dungeon.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **The next chapter will show the interesting part of the story: the first Dream World! Until then! Please review.  
**


	4. Dreamy Castle Rendezvous

**I actually never expected this chapter to end up so long!**

 **Well, enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Dreamy Castle Rendezvous**

Upon exiting this strange dungeon, Mario and Co. found themselves standing in a museum-like room filled with ancient artifacts about the kingdom's history.

"Whoa… There's so many old-looking artifacts in here!" Mario exclaimed.

"What is this place?" Luigi asked as he looked on some artifacts in curiosity.

"Zis is well done!" Broque Monsieur came in.

"Broque Monsieur!" Kirby chirped.

"You bring back zee treasure from zee castle depths, honh? Incroyable! Anyways, zis is zee collection room… Oui, where we keep zee items excavated from zee island!"

"Collection room?" Starlow spoke. "This isn't just junk?"

"JUNK?! Pbthhh! Non non non!" Broque Monsieur blew raspberry. "Au contraire, zee items in zis room are so very precious! Zey all date back to zee period of zee Pi'illo Kingdom. Oui, oui… VIPs only in here, honh? No rabble allowed, honh? And I say zis: Zee treasure you found… We will display zis here as well, oui!"

"Huh? Mario, Luigi, and their friends found it, remember? Can't they keep it?" Starlow asked. She then noticed Luigi just looking around and appreciating the artifacts. "Hey! Luigi! Stop fidgeting."

"Eh?" Luigi then saw something in the middle of the room. "Guys! Look at this!" he called out.

There was a fancy bed made of gold, covered in delicate white frilly sheets. It was also giving an odd aura like a morning sunrise. But what really caught Sonic's attention was that there was a rather familiar diamond-shaped gem lying on the bed: it looked like a Chaos Emerald, but it was dark purple and was emanating a dark aura, which was odd.

" _Is that a Chaos Emerald?! But why is it looking dark?_ " Sonic thought puzzled.

"Wow! Look at this bed!" Baby Mario beamed.

"So then this is…and ancient bed?" Starlow guessed. "And that gem lying on it…is it also ancient?"

"Honh, for zat gem… Zee staff found it lying on zee castle's floor. Zey had no idea what zat was, so we decided to put it in display." Broque Monsieur replied. "And for zat bed… Oui, if you have fatigue, you can rest on it."

"I can? Great!" Luigi jumped in joy. He then goes to Mario. "Big bro, could you hand me that pillow we just found?"

"Sure." Mario nodded before handing the pillow to Luigi.

Luigi walks close to the bed, moved the gem a bit to the left without letting it fall off the bed before placing the pillow gently, resting his head on it and immediately falling asleep.

"Wow, who knew Luigi was such a fast sleeper?" Ribbon Girl commented.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Monsieur Luigi!" Broque Monsieur eyed at the pillow. "Zis thing under your head… Zee pattern is quite ornate, oui? It may be of zee Pi'illo Kingdom… Could it be…zee pillow zat zee prince was using?!"

"Prince?" Jewel's eyes widened. " _A prince ruled the Pi'illo Kingdom?_ " she thought.

"Zat is crazy!" Broque Monsieur flapped his arms. "Zis man falls asleep in an instant using zee treasure as a pillow! Zis Luigi is extraordinary, honh? Zis is a man of consequence, oui!"

Just then, Toad and Yoshi came into the room.

"Wowzer! Amazing!" Toad exclaimed.

"So all these things are from the age of the Pi'illo Kingdom!" Yoshi said.

"Oh my! Perhaps this is the collection room?" Peach's voice came.

The group looked back and saw Peach and Toadsworth entering the room.

"There do appear to be many interesting artifacts…" Peach pondered.

"Hey, wait! How did you guys get in here?" Sonic asked, looking at Yoshi and Toad.

"We came downstairs from the first floor…" Yoshi started.

"That's how. Not really rocket science here." Toad shrugged.

"Oui!" Broque Monsieur nodded. "It was I zat guided them. Aaand… Mademoiselle Princess! So glad you are well, chérie!"

"HEY!" Starlow yelled angrily at Broque Monsieur's face. "Where do you get off, acting so calm about it? You put Peach in grave danger!"

"Zut alors, angry star! Relaxez-vous! Relax! Zat was an accident! A glitch in zee machine… Besides, you found some nice treasure, oui?"

"Everyone!" Peach called out, standing next to the bed. "I think something's wrong with Luigi…"

"How so?" Sonic asked.

All of a sudden, a large colorful cloud appeared above Luigi's head as he was still oozing off in his sleep.

"What in the…" Sonic's eyes widened.

"What could that be?" Yoshi wondered.

"I daresay that's coming from Master Luigi's HEAD." Toadsworth said. "Good gracious. Could it be a vision of his dreams?"

"No way!" Starlow exclaimed.

"Mmmm… Zis is not so crazy, non." Broque Monsieur pondered. "During zee Pi'illo Kingdom era… It is said zere were people who could enter zee dreams of others…"

"But why would Luigi have that power…" Mario breathed.

"Perhaps it's not Luigi? What if it's the pillow that's beneath his head?" Ribbon Girl guessed. "Do you think that thing might be responsible for this phenomenon?"

"Sacre bleu! Zat might be… It may have zee power to reflect zee dream world!" Broque Monsieur exclaimed.

"That reminds me… Where is Dr. Snoozemore, the so-called proprietor of this island?" Starlow asked. "If anyone would know about this phenomenon, it'd be him, right? Since I can already see that Jewel doesn't know either, even if she's the princess…"

"Indeed! Highly irregular that we have yet to meet the man." Toadsworth threw in. "We've been told he's handling some sort of foreign affairs… But I ask you, sir! When will the fellow return, hm?"

"Euh! Zat… Well, zat is something I did not wish to address, non…" Broque Monsieur stuttered. "I and Jewel actually do not know when he is coming back, honh?"

"No… No idea." Jewel shook her head.

"My word…" Toadsworth sighed.

"Ah, but…" Broque Monsieur piped up. "Zese promotional trips, zey usually are lasting only a few days… Oui, so perhaps he will return soon…"

"Let's hope so…" Jewel hoped.

Peach started to get curious about the portal, so she began to approach it, leaving Toadsworth in concern:

"Ah, Princess! It may be dangerous to approach that!"

"You know, I kind of agree with Toadsworth…" Yoshi interfered.

"But I feel like…someone calls me…" Peach spoke quietly as some sparkles from the portal started to emit out of her body.

"Princess Peach! Stay back!" Starlow demanded.

But then, Peach suddenly felt immobile; she was unable to move a muscle:

"My…body…won't move…"

Suddenly, Peach was lifted into the air while screaming, causing everyone to gasp.

"EEEEK!" Peach shrieked before she was sucked into the portal.

"NO! PEACH!" Mario tried to reach for her, but it was too late.

"Oh my goodness!" Ribbon Girl shouted horrified.

"PRINCESS!" Toadsworth cried out as he took a step forward, until Toad grabbed him.

"Toadsworth! You mustn't! Don't let it get you too!" Toad protested.

"The princess! THE PRINCESS!"

"It's okay! It's okay! The portal won't harm us unless we jump in it! But I'm SURE that wasn't supposed to happen!" Jewel informed.

"So what do we do now?!" Kirby asked.

"Isn't it obvious? We gotta jump into that thing and save Peach!" Sonic answered.

"JUMP into that?! Are you serious?!" Ribbon Girl flinched.

"Sonic is right." Mario said with a determined voice. "I know this is our first time witnessing that, but Peach is in grave danger!"

"…Again." Sonic claimed.

"Yeah, whatever! But we have to save her despite what we will even find on the other side of that portal! Anyone with me?"

The babies immediately nodded, while Kirby and Ribbon Girl looked at each other for a second before nodding too.

"Anything for Peach!" Baby Mario spoke.

"That's the spirit!" Mario grinned. He then looks at Starlow. "Starlow, stay here and look after Luigi, while I and my friends will jump in."

"Alright." Starlow nodded.

"What about you, Jewel?" Mario asked.

"You don't have to worry. I have another way to help you while you're in the Dream World." Jewel assured.

"If you say so… Let's go!"

Mario then jumps up and dives into the portal, followed up by Sonic, Kirby and Ribbon Girl, who picked up Baby Mario and Baby Luigi and wrapped then with her arms close to her chest before she jumped into the portal.

Jewel then walks to the right side of the bed and takes out a baby pink pillow with golden buttons, setting it on the floor. Then, she noticed that her pillow changed color. It went from baby pink to…yellow?

" _My…pillow changed color? Could this mean…_ " Jewel thought. She then rests her head on her pillow and drifts to sleep. " _Mario… Everyone… I'm coming…_ "

* * *

 _ **With Mario and Co…**_

Upon entering the portal, they emerged out of a puffy pink cloud and looked around them: everything was in a rainbow limbo.

"Whoa…" Sonic breathed.

"HELLLP!" they heard Peach's cry for help right up ahead.

"Look! Up ahead!" Baby Mario pointed.

They saw Peach being carried by a strange purple cloud, taking her deeper into the Dream World.

"After it!" Mario hollered.

The group began to swim forward in this limbo, until they came upon a pink glowing orb, giving some sort of call to them:

" _This place…divides…the real…and the dream. You are now…entering…the dream world… Help… Help me…"_

The orb then disappears, leaving the group confused.

"Who do you think that was?" Kirby asked.

"Who knows?" Sonic shrugged.

"Let's worry about that later. For now, we have a princess to fetch." Mario said.

The group nodded and went into another portal, taking them deeper into the dream world.

* * *

Mario was the first one to emerge out and land on his feet on the floor, next followed up by Sonic, Kirby and finally Ribbon Girl, placing the babies down upon landing.

The group looked around the place and were astonished. They were in the dream world version of Pi'illo Castle, but more specifically, they were in Dreamy Pi'illo Castle. This Dream World still kept the same vines and stone walls and floor, but the latter also had golden bricks where the group's feet was touching on. Parts of the floor and in thin air had small vegetation and some parts of the walls had a small bit of a checkered pattern, which was definitely not normal. All of the windows, which were misplaced, were showing yet another rainbow limbo and the torches were either standing normally or upside-down, also floating in thin air. But what was really odd was that some bricks on the walls were actually moving up and down and left and right, and all of the Zeekeeper statues were brought to life, flapping their wings.

"Where are we?" Baby Luigi asked, looking around.

"Is this the dream world that the figure back there said so? It looks quite stunning, actually." Baby Mario smiled.

"Never expected a dream to look like that…" Kirby awed. "What's ironically is that I live in a world where everyone would always dream when they sleep, but we NEVER actually enter someone's dreams…"

"Now this is REALLY something that I would never expect to experience!" Ribbon Girl exclaimed.

"Heeeeeelp!" they heard once again Peach's cry for help. They were startled when the purple smoke carrying Peach flew right above them in circles.

"Oh! Mama mia!" Mario flinched.

"Holy smokes!" Sonic yelled in shock.

The purple cloud then takes off ahead. The group wastes no time in following it.

"Help me! Everyone!" Peach called out once the group caught up with her, but they had to witness another escape by the purple cloud.

"Great, now that purple smoke thing is way up high!" Sonic grumbled.

"How are we going to get all the way up there?" Ribbon Girl asked.

"Hmm… There's a door up there." Mario pointed to a door behind them from above. "Let's cross those platforms and head there."

The group crossed the platforms plus a moving grassy one and entered the door. On the other side, they had to deal with a maze of doors, which would take them to different spots. When they finally exited the maze, they didn't notice that three rather familiar figures were actually following them.

"We finally got out of that maze, everyone. Let's continue. Oh, and you too, Luigi, Tails and Jewel." Mario said while nodding. The group of six turned around and were about to continue…

Then, in an instant, they all froze; did they seriously just saw Luigi, Tails and Jewel right behind them?! They slowly turned back…and indeed saw said trio standing there! The group freaked out and shouted in shock each:

"What the-…LUIGI?!" Mario.

"TAILS?!" Sonic.

"JEWEL?!" Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Kirby and Ribbon Girl.

"Guys! We finally found you!" 'Luigi' beamed.

"Sonic! I can't believe you actually found me here!" Tails exclaimed as he rushed to Sonic, who still didn't get rid of his widened eyes.

"Tails… Is that really you?!" Sonic asked.

"I am!"

"Hold on! Luigi, what do you mean about finally finding us? And most importantly, HOW are you and Jewel even here?!" Ribbon Girl questioned.

"That's right! Luigi is supposed to be sleeping right now and Jewel is…whatever the heck she's doing right now! But even that, you both are supposed to be at the real world!" Mario threw in.

"Oh! That's a really good question!" 'Jewel' giggled. "The answer is, not quite! You are just a bit off!"

"Sure, we are!" Sonic replied sarcastically.

"Please, let me explain. For my case, I'm sleeping on my Magical Pillow that allows me to separate my conscious to anywhere I want! In this case, I was able to enter Luigi's dream with this power. It's sort of like my sister's telepathy-like power that allows her to communicate even when she's far away. But since I'm not physically here, you can call me Dreamy Jewel. I will not have any special features like Luigi, since this isn't my dreams."

"What do you mean by special features?" Kirby asked.

"You see… This guy is Luigi…but not the real one." Dreamy Jewel directed to 'Luigi'. "He is Luigi as he sees himself in the dream world. He has named himself… Dreamy Luigi!"

"That's right!" Dreamy Luigi nodded.

"Notice that this Luigi is slightly…um…different than the Luigi in the real world. A bit taller, maybe. A bit more…handsome than the real Luigi." Dreamy Jewel inspected Dreamy Luigi, who blushed at her last sentence. She continues: "And the mustache! It has that…oomph! That…whatever it is! No, it can be denied no longer! Luigi, he is…a dreamboat!"

"Wait, wait, wait, changing the subject a little, how did you both find Tails in here?" Sonic asked, interrupting Dreamy Jewel.

"Oh, Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel found me all alone next to the portal that showed up." Tails explained. "At first, I was freaked out when I saw them, but I felt thankful when they guided me to you all!"

" _So that gem WAS a Chaos Emerald!_ " Sonic thought in conclusion. "And how did you end up in here, buddy?" he asked again.

"I'm not sure… The only thing I remember was that as soon as I entered the castle's collection room as I was exploring around, something struck my Chaos Emerald…and I was sucked into it, sending me in here!"

"Strange… It's not normal for a Chaos Emerald to do that…"

"Well, then… How about we join you all and help you find Princess Peach?" Dreamy Luigi suggested.

"Why, sure! You don't even have to ask twice!" Mario immediately accepted; he would never leave his brother behind, even if he wasn't physically here.

"Oh! Such brotherly love… This touches me!" Dreamy Jewel cried in tears of joy.

"We'll do our best to help you!" Dreamy Luigi assured.

"All right!" Ribbon Girl jumps in joy.

"Woohoo!" Baby Mario and Baby Luigi cheered.

Mario then walks to Dreamy Luigi and says:

"Luigi… I must say, I was feeling quite empty without you. It's like we really needed each other, no matter what kind of place I am. I think that might be the reason why you showed up; to aid me whenever I need. I'm so glad I got to travel in your dreams with you."

"Me too, Mario." Dreamy Luigi smiled.

Then, both brothers shared a hug, with the rest of the group smiling at their moment. Meanwhile, at the real world, at the same time when Mario and Dreamy Luigi were hugging, Luigi began to laugh happily in his sleep, leaving everyone in the room with big question marks over their heads.

Back at the Dream World, the now group of nine exited through another door and emerged out to where the purple cloud took off previously. Upon heading to the next area, they encountered the purple cloud still carrying Peach again.

The group glared at the purple cloud as a pair of yellow eyes showed up. The purple cloud snarled at them as Peach once again cries for help:

"Help me!"

The cloud once again scurries off.

"Man, when will that cloud ever stop running away?!" Sonic complained.

"Whenever the case, we should go after it at all costs!" Dreamy Luigi told. "Let's go!"

The rest of the gang nodded and moved on…only for a bunch of Drombas and Storches to ambush them.

"HOLY CRAP! That's a LOT of enemies!" Sonic flinched.

"Not to worry! I'll just do this!" Dreamy Luigi suddenly turns into a green light and zooms into Mario, and his body was surrounded in a green glow.

"Huh? Why do I feel more powerful?" Mario wondered. "Whatever, I'll just do my normal jumping."

Mario runs toward one of the Drombas and stomps the one at the middle. At the same time he was doing that, a line of green Luigi holograms called Luiginoids appeared above Mario's head and stomped alongside him. After Mario landed back to where he jumped from, he and the rest watched all of the Luiginoids dropping down and stomping the rest of the Drombas, killing all of them.

"Wow!" Baby Mario beamed.

"Okay… Now I'm speechless…" Kirby was out of words.

"You took that right out of my mouth…" Ribbon Girl spoke.

"Whoa! Watch out!" Dreamy Jewel warned as the group of Storches sent out large flames at the heroes, but they jumped over the flames just in time. However, there was a lit flame above each Storch's head. "Hmm, I think jumping won't work; even if Luigi can defy the laws of reality as much as he wants, that doesn't mean everything in general."

"Oh! Good thing I and Luigi brought our hammers!" Baby Mario exclaimed as he and Baby Luigi took out their hammers.

"Wait, you got new hammers?" Mario asked.

"Yep!" Baby Luigi nodded.

"Our Toadsworth rewarded us with these hammers after hearing about our efforts in that adventure with the Shroobs!" Baby Mario explained. "So we're fighting with hammers again!"

"Hm, in that case, let me give you a boost!" Dreamy Luigi came out of Mario and merges within Baby Mario this time.

"Yay! Let's try this out!"

Baby Mario lifts his hammer and charges it at maximum, swinging it down and hitting the floor. In an instant, a horizontal line of Luiginoids came out from the hammer swing and whacked their hammers on the floor, sending out a huge shockwave at the Storches, killing them at last.

"AMAZING!" he yelled in excitement.

"Wow! That was so awesome!" Baby Luigi exclaimed as Luigi emerges out of Baby Mario. "Dreamy older me, you're incredible!" he smiled once he went to Dreamy Luigi and hugged his leg. Dreamy Luigi couldn't help but smile at his younger self.

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

After more exploring in Dreamy Pi'illo Castle, the heroes finally caught up with the purple cloud again holding Peach, but she looked unconscious this time.

"There you are!" Mario gritted his teeth. "Now hand Princess Peach back!"

But the purple cloud only growled at him. Just then, to the whole group's surprise, the purple cloud sprouted a clone of Mario, Sonic, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Kirby and Ribbon Girl!

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Sonic yelled in shock.

All of the clones had a purple cloud aura surrounding them as they smirked evilly at their original counterparts. For some reason, Dreamy Jewel and Tails were spared.

"I wonder why we were the only ones who didn't get clones…" Tails wondered.

"No idea." Dreamy Jewel shrugged.

"W-What are they supposed to be?!" Baby Luigi stuttered.

"They must be our dreamy counterparts…" Mario said. "Well, that doesn't matter; we must take them out!"

Mario then tries to stomp Dreamy Mario, only for him to jump over.

"What?" Mario wasn't expecting that. Dreamy Mario then stomps on Mario's head, knocking him down on the ground. "OW!" he groaned and quickly got up.

"You risk your life over and over again just to save Peach, who gets kidnapped a million times, and what do you get? Nothing. You just rescue her only for her to get snatched up again later on." Dreamy Mario teased.

"What are you…?"

Before Mario could finish, he saw Dreamy Mario jumping up while raising his fist to attempt to punch him to the ground. Luckily, Mario dodged the attack just in time.

Dreamy Sonic was chasing after Sonic as they were zooming around the Dream World with their super speed (let's just say that the Dream World became a large battlefield like during the battles in the game). Then, Dreamy Sonic managed to catch up with Sonic and did a Spin Dash at him, and the latter was knocked and slid on the ground.

"UGH!" Sonic groaned from the impact.

"Heh! You're no different, dude. You stop Eggman's plans and he just starts them up again. It's only a matter of time before that Egghead gets his hands on the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald and your title of 'fastest thing alive' to wear off." Dreamy Sonic smirked.

"Oh SHUT UP, FAKER!" Sonic yelled angrily, distorted by what his Dreamy counterpart said and does a Homing Attack at him, but he stepped to the side to avoid it. " _Damn! It's like I'm fighting Shadow or Metal Sonic all over again!_ " Sonic thought after seeing that his attack was avoided.

Both Ribbon Girl and Dreamy Ribbon Girl had a Sparky on their left hands and a Slapamander on their right. Ribbon Girl immediately aims her left fist at her Dreamy counterpart, but she canceled the attack by sending her left fist at it.

"You claim you're a professional ARMS fighter, but no matter how much you compete, you'll never be anything more than a simple Pop-Star singer." Dreamy Ribbon Girl mocked.

"Grrr! How dare you!" Ribbon Girl growled. But before she could react, she was slapped in the face by Dreamy Ribbon Girl's Slapamander.

Baby Mario pulled out his hammer and tries to whack his Dreamy counterpart, but he jumped out of the way.

"Too slow!" Dreamy Baby Mario teased and stomped Baby Mario's head.

"Oof!" he groaned.

Baby Luigi and Dreamy Baby Luigi both took out their hammers and swung at each other, but they swung each hammer at the same time, causing the hammers' impact to slide them backwards. Baby Luigi then tries to stomp his Dreamy counterpart, but he dodged, and took the chance to swing his hammer at Baby Luigi, sending him a few feet away.

"AAAH!" he winced as he was sliding on the floor.

Kirby then saw Dreamy Kirby using his inhale ability to try to suck his normal counterpart into his mouth. Acting quickly, Kirby held on to the ground to avoid being sucked in.

"This is bad! Our Dreamy selves have the same abilities and are using our weaknesses for their advantage!" Kirby exclaimed with worry, struggling by the air of Dreamy Kirby's inhaling.

"We can't let them win! Dreamy Luigi, lend them a hand!" Dreamy Jewel hollered.

"Sure! This is my dream and I say my friends will win!" Dreamy Luigi grinned.

He then becomes a green light again before splitting into six and each light zoomed inside Mario, Sonic, the babies, Kirby and Ribbon Girl.

"Wow, Luigi! This does feel great!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Sweet! Let's see what these new powers can do to us!" Ribbon Girl spoke in excitement.

She saw Dreamy Ribbon Girl sending her left fist at her, but she blocked the attack. She charges up her Sparky with electricity and sends it at full speed at Dreamy Ribbon Girl, and once the fist hit her, a bunch of Luiginoids came out of the Sparky and they all delivered a punch simultaneously. This caused Dreamy Ribbon Girl to get knocked on the ground while stunned, giving Ribbon Girl the opportunity to send her charged Slapamander at her Dreamy clone. That's where Dreamy Ribbon Girl exploded into a flash of colorful stars and lights upon being hit by the Slapamander's fire.

Kirby found a lonely Storch and inhaled it to transform into Fire Kirby. Fire Kirby began to charge a large fireball, and once he sent it, a bunch of Luiginoids came out of the fireball and shot a green fireball each at Dreamy Kirby along with the large fireball Fire Kirby conjured. With that, Dreamy Kirby was the next one to explode into a flash of colorful stars and lights.

Dreamy Sonic attempted to charge for Sonic and grab him, but he dodged it and punched his Dreamy clone in the face, causing many Luiginoids to appear and punch Dreamy Sonic as well.

"You sure are VERY persistent, hedgehog!" Dreamy Sonic hissed.

"Persistent indeed! Now, good night to you!" Sonic smirked before doing a kick at Dreamy Sonic's chest, and a bunch of Luiginoids showed up from Sonic's foot and kicked as well. Finally, Dreamy Sonic explodes.

Baby Luigi swings his hammer to the ground to make the line of Luiginoids appear and pound their hammers to the ground to create a shockwave. Dreamy Baby Luigi was hit by that shockwave and was flung all the way to the wall.

"Urgh…" Dreamy Baby Luigi groaned.

"YAAH!" before Dreamy Baby Luigi could even get up from the ground, he saw Baby Luigi about to stomp him.

The last thing Dreamy Baby Luigi saw before exploding was a bunch of Luiginoids stomping him all at once. Baby Mario dodged Dreamy Baby Mario's hammer attack before stomping him and making the Luiginoids jump on him.

"Why you…!" Dreamy Baby Mario muttered, shaking his fist angrily at Baby Mario.

"Too late to react now! Go, Luigi Shockwave!" Baby Mario hits his hammer on the ground to make the Luiginoids create a shockwave heading towards Dreamy Baby Mario. He didn't have time to react and was hit by the shockwave, causing him to explode. Now the only Dreamy clone remaining was Dreamy Mario.

Mario avoided his Dreamy counterpart's punch and took the chance to stomp him. After all the Luiginoids fell on Dreamy Mario, he was the last one to explode, thus all of the Dreamy clones were defeated.

"Well, that was sort of fun." Sonic remarked as Dreamy Luigi emerged out of everyone.

"You guys did it!" Tails exclaimed.

"We would've never beaten our Dreamy clones if it wasn't for Luigi!" Ribbon Girl winked as she retracts her arms back to normal arms and takes off her boxing gloves.

Then, they all heard a noise coming from behind them.

"Guys, we still have a bigger thing to focus on." Dreamy Jewel glared at the purple cloud. Everyone turned around and glared at it too.

Suddenly, the purple cloud shoots some ring lasers into the ground as shaking and crumbling noises came in, startling the heroes. Deep into the ground, a fissure rises up, cracking the floor under the purple cloud with a very loud noise.

"Mario!" Peach called out as the purple cloud dragged her into the opened ground.

"Peach!" Mario shouted as he kneels down and reaches out his hand.

However, once the purple cloud went down the opening, it rebuilt itself right back up, cutting the heroes' path to Peach.

"No!" Ribbon Girl cried out while kneeling on the floor where the opening used to be.

"Dammit! We lost her AGAIN!" Sonic yelled in frustration, pounding his fists on the ground.

"Peach…" Baby Mario lamented.

"That purple cloud…" Mario muttered.

Just then, the same glowing pink orb of light popped up in front of them.

" _Keep going… You're so close…"_ it spoke as it flew up ahead.

The heroes followed the orb and found two dark purple crystals: one in midair and one on the floor.

"What are those…?" Sonic breathed.

" _The nightmare chunks… Break them…"_ the voice spoke again before flying into the crystal in midair.

In curiosity, Mario walked under the chunk in midair while Sonic went to the chunk on the ground. Mario jumped up and hit the midair chunk with his fist while Sonic did a stomp on the grounded chunk, causing both to crack a bit. So they continued to hit them until they shattered completely.

What was inside the grounded nightmare chunk? The yellow Chaos Emerald! But the Emerald was emitting a rainbow glow, so that makes it a Dreamy Chaos Emerald.

"A Chaos Emerald?!" Sonic's eyes widened. He was about to touch it until he heard a 'thud' noise from behind him that came from the midair nightmare chunk.

Everyone stared at the floor, seeing a creature that looked like it had its head encased in a red pillow.

"Uh… You okay?" Kirby asked as he curiously touches the red pillow.

The creature stands up by itself and floats up.

"Ahhhhhhhh… I am at one with freedom." The creature sighed.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Mario asked.

"First of all, are you the kind souls who set me free?" the creature asked. Everyone nodded. "I am in your debt. Thank you for freeing me." It thanked.

"You're welcome!" Baby Mario chirped.

"So, you want to know who I am?"

"Yes, please." Tails begged.

"I see. You don't know who I am… INSOLENCE!" its yell startled everyone. "Ahem… I am Prince Dreambert of the Pi'illo Kingdom."

"Wait… You're a prince?!" Ribbon Girl was surprised.

Mario then walks to Dreambert and tells him:

"Dreambert, there is a princess who was abducted in here, but we ended up losing her when a purple cloud dragged her into the underground."

"Is that so? Hmmm… It seems some evil befell the real world in my absence… We must return to that world at once. Naught remains to do here." Dreambert said. "OK, are we ready?"

He flies into the air and emits a golden glow. Sonic quickly went to the Dreamy Chaos Emerald and grabbed it, making it emit a bright yellow glow.

In an instant, both glows surrounded everyone in a bright light. At the same time, the dark pillow and the dark Chaos Emerald in the real world began to wiggle as colorful sparkles came out from them.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **I really wanted to incorporate the entire progress of Dreamy Pi'illo Castle in one chapter, but I never expected it to end up THAT long! As you can see, my OC's Dreamy version is back. Unlike Dreamy Luigi, Dreamy Jewel won't have any special abilities in the Dream World, since it's Luigi's dreams, of course. That makes her the same Jewel as the one in the real world, but because she is more cheerful in the Dream World, I decided to name her Dreamy Jewel anyways because of this small change of personality.**

 **See you in the next chapter! And happy 4th of July! Please review.  
**


	5. The Past Revealed

**A lot of backstories and references from my previous stories of my Saga will show up in here!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Past Revealed**

At the real world, everyone saw Mario, the babies, Sonic, Kirby and Ribbon Girl coming out of the portal and landing on the floor.

"Good heavens! Master Mario! Master Sonic! Young Master Mario! Young Master Luigi! Master Kirby! Mistress Ribbon Girl!" Toadsworth exclaimed. "Where is Princess Peach? Where did she go? WHERE?!"

"Well, actually…"

"Guys! How was it?" Starlow interrupted Mario. "Did you find Peach?"

Just then, the pillow and the Chaos Emerald did some wiggles with some rocky noises. Then, the portal closes up as Luigi and Jewel snapped awake and stood up, with Jewel picking up her Magical Pillow that was baby pink again in color and putting it back in her pocket. Everyone stared at the pillow and the Chaos Emerald until both began to float in midair.

"The…pillow…and the Chaos Emerald...are moving!" Sonic said astonished.

The pillow and the Emerald glowed brightly. The pillow then transforms into Prince Dreambert while the Chaos Emerald sends out Tails, who falls face-first on the floor, and regains its yellow color. Everyone flinched at that.

"Mercy! What now?!" Toadsworth questioned.

"…Tails?" Sonic looked down at his adoptive brother.

"Uuuugh…" Tails moaned. He then looks up and sees Sonic. "Sonic? Am I…out of the Dream World?"

"You are! Even the Chaos Emerald regained its original color!" Sonic beamed, noticing the yellow Chaos Emerald on the bed. He picks up the Emerald and hands it to Tails before they shared a hug. Dreambert noticed that and flew towards the heroes while asking Mario:

"Mario… This is your name? Mario?"

"Correct." Mario nodded. "Next to me is my brother, Luigi, and in front of us are our…let's say they're me and Luigi from the past. And behind me are my friends: Sonic, Kirby, Yoshi, Tails, Ribbon Girl and Jewel." He introduced his friends.

"Wait… Did you just say Jewel?"

"I did. Why?"

Dreambert had the look of shock in his face as he flew towards Jewel.

"Princess Jewel? Is that really you?" he asked. "My, you have grown so much since the last time I've ever saw you…"

"I am… Uh, have we met before?" Jewel raised an eyebrow.

"What? You don't remember me? The one who saved you from being trapped in a nightmare?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember you at all."

"Hmm… Has it really been so long since my absence?"

"Hmph? What's the meaning of all this?" Toadsworth asked.

"I am… The prince of the Pi'illo Kingdom… Prince Dreambert." Dreambert answered.

"Th-the prince?!"

"Oh, oui! I knew it!" Broque Monsieur interfered. "I suspected zat treasure belonged to zee prince of zee Pi'illo Kingdom… But who could imagine zee pillow was zee prince himself? Not moi!"

"But why were you petrified until now?" Starlow asked.

"Yeah! Just like with the Chaos Emerald!" Sonic added.

"All was dark… My soul and that gem's pure essences were trapped within a chunk of solid nightmare." Dreambert explained. "These nightmare chunks encased me and the gem… My soul and the gem hung in limbo, frozen, and my and its bodies became as stones… I could not move or speak, and my mind was unmoored… I also felt pitiful for the gem's victim, trapping him into the Dream World due to the gem's state of malicious nightmare…" he then directs to the group who went to the Dream World. "But then came these heroes to the dream world. They shattered my and that furry fellow's prisons… And now I am one with normalcy! My mind is free and enlightened! Same goes to this fellow!"

"So Tails was trapped in the Dream World and could only be freed by getting rid of the nightmare cursing the Chaos Emerald?" Sonic guessed. "Then that means this could of have happened to all of my friends too!"

"Really?! That's horrible!" Tails flinched in horror.

"Whoa honh! Zis shocks me!" Broque Monsieur exclaimed. "Zen… Zee stories about zee end of zee Pi'illo folk… Zey are false?"

"The end of the Pi'illo folk? What do you mean?" Dreambert asked.

"It is said that the Pi'illo folk vanished without any explanation a million years ago." Jewel explained.

"A million years?!" Dreambert said shocked. "Antasma! This must've been his doing!" he muttered.

"Antasma?"

Before Dreambert could explain, Broque Monsieur interfered when something came into his mind:

"Oh! And… Zee pillow rocks… Zere are rocks on zee island zat look like pillows… Could zey be…"

Dreambert's eyes widened, knowing what that means and hollered:

"They can, indeed! I cannot linger! I must rush to the others' aid!" he then dashes off.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Mario called out, but Dreambert was already gone.

"Masters! Changing the subject here, where's our princess?" Toadsworth wanted to know. "SPEAK, man! What happened?"

Mario and his friends explained to Toadsworth and Starlow everything that happened at the Dream World. After the explanation, Toadsworth and Starlow were left in shock.

"Oh gosh… Peach has been taken somewhere in the dream world… Unbelievable." Starlow spoke.

"I wonder… This scoundrel who kidnapped the princess… Might the fiend have something to do with Prince Dreambert?" Toadsworth pondered.

"That's a good question…" Mario puzzled.

"I see… No clue…" Starlow pointed out. "Well, I think our only course of action is to follow that Dreambert guy! He might know something about where Peach might be!"

"Masters and Mistresses! Do save the princess, hm?" Toadsworth requested.

"Leave it to us, Toadsworth." Mario assured.

"I'll go with you as well!" Tails said. "I also want to know more about Dreambert."

"Great!" Sonic grinned. "So, where do we start?"

"Hmm, let's start with Mushrise Park." Jewel suggested. "It's a very popular area for many tourists. Besides, it's located just south of Pi'illo Castle."

Everyone nodded and exited the castle to head to Mushrise Park.

* * *

In order to reach the park, they had to cross a bridge. However, this bridge was made of very unstable wood that could easily crumble.

"Oh… That doesn't look safe." Ribbon Girl trailed.

"Well… Let's try going one at a time." Mario suggested. "I and Luigi will head first."

With that, Mario and Luigi began to walk as slowly as they could on the bridge, but it was making lots of trembling noises as it shook a bit, making Luigi stop and examine the noises.

"Luigi, don't lose time. Just go." Sonic rolled his eyes as he and the rest of the group pushes Luigi forward, without noticing that they also stepped on the bridge, which was already making lots of trembling noises and shaking.

Mario continues forward, completely unaware of the situation from up above. Suddenly, the bridge began to crumble, starting from its beginning, which shocked the gang from behind Mario.

"YIKES! MARIO! RUN!" Luigi yelled in panic as he and the group made a mad dash towards the middle of the collapsing bridge.

"Huh? Why, Lui-… HOLY GEEZ!" Mario panicked once he turned around and saw the bridge collapsing. He then also makes a mad dash to try to make it to the other side.

Unfortunately, the crumbling of the bridge was faster, and in an instant, the whole bridge collapsed underneath them, leaving them standing comically in midair with nervous looks in their faces.

"Umm…" Mario slowly looked at his friends.

"Uh oh…" Luigi sweatdropped as he looked down into the deep abyss right below them.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" everyone screamed as they all fell down the abyss.

* * *

The scene shows another part of Pi'illo Castle's underground area, where Luigi was the first one to land.

"Oh? Heck yeah! I finally landed on my feet for once!" Luigi fist pumps. But…his celebration of accomplishment would wear off when Mario, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi landed on and bounced off of him. "…Except for thaaat…" he groaned while dizzy.

"Did we all land on older me?" Baby Luigi questioned as the three brothers turned around to see Luigi dizzy.

"Yep." Baby Mario nodded. "Luigi! Snap out of it!"

Luigi shook it off and the four brothers looked up to see Tails coming down spinning his tails while holding Sonic on his hands, Kirby floating down while he was all puffed up, and Jewel gliding down on her elegant yellow parasol in one hand while holding Ribbon Girl's hand with another.

"That was a close one…" Jewel sighed once she, Ribbon Girl, Sonic and Tails landed. Jewel then closes her parasol and puts it back into her pocket.

"Yeah…" Kirby added once he deflated.

"Are we in the underground portion of Pi'illo Castle again?" Ribbon Girl asked while looking around.

"It looks like it." Mario confirmed.

"Well, whatever the case, we have to find a way out of here." Sonic told.

Everyone nodded and proceeded to explore the tunnels, defeating some Bloatulas, spider-like enemies, in the process. Soon, they came upon another petrified pillow on the floor.

"Hmm… This pillow looks like Dreambert's…" Kirby inspected.

"Maybe another portal to the dream world will open if someone sleeps on it…" Starlow stated.

"Possibly. Let me try it out now." Mario said.

He then rests his head on the pillow and shuts his eyes…but nothing happened.

"No dice." Sonic shook his head.

"Strange… How come it only works with Luigi?" Mario questioned once he stood up.

"Maybe the fact that he conks out so easily like last time helps open the way?" Ribbon Girl guessed.

"Correct." Suddenly, Dreambert's voice came from behind them.

"Dreambert?" Mario spoke.

Dreambert flies to Luigi and tells the group while directing to him:

"The wavelength of this one's sleep is extremely close to the Pi'illos'. For this reason, when he sleeps on one of the Pi'illo folk… He becomes one with the dream world and creates a portal…"

"So this pillow is really a Pi'illo?" Luigi asked.

"Correct. My and Jewel's people, the Pi'illos, were trapped within chunks of nightmare… Their souls held hostage, they were dispersed across the island… We must save them all immediately!"

"How can we help them?" Starlow asked.

"The answer is already within you…for it is the way Mario saved me. You must enter the dream world and destroy the nightmare chunks."

"We'll do it!" Mario exclaimed.

"Yeah!" the rest of the group nodded.

"Now! Everyone! I ask this of you… Come with me! Come with me to the dream world! Give me the aid I need to free my Pi'illo brethren from their prisons!" Dreambert said.

"Hey, hold on!" Starlow interfered. "We need to find Peach first! She was taken into the dream world… She's our priority! We can't spare the time to save the Pi'illos right now!"

"Actually, Starlow, that's what makes things worse." Mario said.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Taking Peach as the main priority."

"Why?!"

"In that time-traveling adventure I've mentioned to you last year, I forgot to tell you one thing that I, Luigi, Sonic, Tails and our younger selves learned."

"Hmm, I think I know what you mean, Mario." Sonic remarked.

"Oh yeah, I remember too!" Tails piped up.

"Oh, good lord! You meant THAT moment, right? How could we have been so stupid?!" Luigi facepalmed.

"At least my little bro was the only one aware of that." Baby Mario pointed out.

"Yeah, but not until we reached the Star Hill." Baby Luigi reminded.

"What? What? What's going on?" Starlow asked.

"In that adventure, we were collecting Cobalt Star Shards in order to find a way to defeat the Shroobs since Peach disappeared somewhere in the past. However, we were collecting the shards without even knowing the truth behind them. They were trapping the Elder Princess Shroob inside, and we never figured out that, except for Baby Luigi. That's because we were so focused on saving Peach that we completely ignored the even bigger danger that was hidden next to us this entire time." Mario explained. "So I think it's best to not focus too much on Peach. What if the one who kidnapped her is trying to use her for something, like how the Shroobs used her as bait to lure us into collecting shards? What if there's a secret that's far more dangerous and it is already hidden within us right under our noses?"

"Hmm… You might be right, Mario. Focusing on Peach all the time would be risky after what happened to you all previously." Starlow pointed out. "I guess we should then focus on saving the Pi'illo folk, then…"

"Ah, but if we free the Pi'illo folk… One might know where Peach is." Dreambert interfered.

"True, but… Not to be rude, but can't you save them on your own?" Starlow asked.

"Would that this were true. For I attempted to… But I failed to shatter the nightmare chunks… I need Mario…and his friends. Without their power, I lack the strength to break the nightmarish bonds… This, friends, is why I came here to find you!"

"Do not worry, Dreambert! We'll all aid Mario to shatter all of those nightmare chunks! After all, my other friends probably suffered the same fate as Tails." Sonic smiled. The rest of the gang nodded.

"My thanks, Sonic!" Dreambert thanked. "I shall come with you all!"

"All right, I guess Luigi will have to sleep on the Pi'illo while I will sleep on his side with my Magical Pillow." Jewel stated as she places her baby pink Magical Pillow on the floor at the right side of the petrified Pi'illo.

Luigi then sleeps on the Pi'illo, creating another portal to the Dream World. With that, Jewel rests her head on her pillow and sleeps.

"Guess I'll stay here and take care of Luigi!" Starlow said.

Mario and his friends then dived into the portal.

* * *

They were back in Dreamy Pi'illo Castle, except in a different portion of the area. They looked behind them and saw Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel.

"Welcome back to the Dream World, guys!" Dreamy Jewel exclaimed cheerfully. "I and Dreamy Luigi are here once again to aid you!"

"Hmm, Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel! How unexpected." Dreambert said. "Though it shouldn't be. You do live here."

"Well, yeah." Dreamy Luigi nodded.

"Speaking of which, I sense a hidden power within you, Dreamy Luigi. A higher plane of consciousness."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Oh, I know! It's those 'something' works!" Dreamy Jewel piped up.

"'Something' works?" Ribbon Girl raised an eyebrow.

"You're about to see it until we come upon some object that will interact with Dreamy Luigi."

They group then went forward until they came upon a midair wall that crashed down, causing them to fall down.

 ***THUD!***

"Ugh… Are you sure this is your dreams, Luigi?" Sonic groaned. "It looks more like you're trying to put us in trouble with random traps rather than helping us!"

"Hey! I'm pretty sure it's not my fault!" Dreamy Luigi protested.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, at the real world…**_

"Everyone… I hope they're OK…" Starlow hoped. Then, she heard Luigi blabbering in his sleep. "Y'know, seeing Luigi zonked out is really starting to annoy me! None of this would've happened if you'd stayed awake, snoozy!" she angrily pulls Luigi's right mustache with her teeth. "Hrgh! Be more useful, you lazy mustache!" she let go of the mustache.

* * *

 _ **Back at the Dream World…**_

In an instant, Dreamy Luigi's body began to glow green.

"Huh? Why am I glowing?" Dreamy Luigi looked at himself.

The rest of the group was also confused. That is, until Baby Luigi pointed to them:

"Look! That tree up there! It's also glowing like dreamy older me!"

"That's a weird looking tree, actually…" Sonic inspected.

This tree was indeed quite odd: it had green leaves shaped like a mustache.

"Oh! That's it! That's the 'something' I was talking about!" Dreamy Jewel beamed. "Do you see that tree reacting to Dreamy Luigi's aura? His imagination-Luigination—is bridging the two worlds! I think I'll call these bridging elements Luiginary Works!"

" _There goes Jewel with all of her wacky names…_ " Sonic thought while rolling his eyes playfully.

"Come now, Dreamy Luigi! Time to free your mind! Merge within that tree!"

"Um, alright." Dreamy Luigi nodded.

He then turns into a green light and zooms into the tree, and now it gained Luigi's eyes, nose and mouth, with green eyebrows.

"Okay… Now this tree is looking even weirder than before." Sonic commented.

"That looks so cool!" Baby Mario exclaimed.

"…You think?" Ribbon Girl spoke, looking quite disturbed by the Luigi tree. "His eyes are kind of creeping me out…"

"And thus you establish a profound connection between the worlds!" Dreamy Jewel continued, looking cheerful as always. "Dreamy Luigi has become one with the tree…"

"How can you sleep at a time like this?!" Starlow growled, unaware that Luigi's mustache was now showing small green sparkles. "You sloth stache! Have another tweak!"

She once again pulls Luigi's right mustache, but what was surprising was that at the same time at the Dream World, the right leaf began to move in sync with Starlow's mustache movements, causing the group except for Dreamy Jewel and Dreambert to freak out.

During this event, Starlow was completely unaware that the leaf was moving in the Dream World, and when she pulled the mustache down, the leaf ended up grabbing Mario, with its end turning into a grabbing hand.

"Whoa! Whoa! What's going on?!" Mario panicked as he was struggling with the leaf constantly moving up and down.

Then, once Starlow let go of the mustache, the leaf in the Dream World flung Mario like a slingshot.

"Whooooooa!" he screamed until he landed on a platform right above.

"Wow…" Tails was astonished.

"And this is how the real world and the dream world connect! Pretty dreamy, don't you think?" Dreamy Jewel winked at the last sentence. Sonic didn't approve on that pun.

"Say, is it just me, or does Jewel know more about what is happening in the Dream World more than us? I mean, I doubt she has ever been in the Dream World!" Sonic blurted.

"I believe it's because Jewel is literally representing the Author, and she really loves the original game. So it makes sense that she would know everything in here." Dreambert responded.

"Oh, great… She'll probably break the fourth wall a lot during our adventure…"

Soon, everyone was able to get on the platform above by using this Luiginary Work, with Starlow unintentionally doing so.

"That went quite well, don't you think?" Dreamy Jewel winked.

"I guess so." Ribbon Girl shrugged.

"Such is the power of Luiginary Works! Since this Work is focusing on a mustache-like tree… I'm going to call it: the Luiginary Stache Tree!"

"That name sounds a bit weird, but it works." Tails pointed out.

Dreamy Luigi then comes out of the tree, back to normal.

"Well, that was a fun experience." Dreamy Luigi remarked.

"I'm sure we will see many other Luiginary Works in our travels. Open your mind, be at one with them all, and move ever on!" Dreamy Jewel exclaimed.

The group nodded and moved on. They came upon more Luiginary Stache Trees, but they were needed to break the seven nightmare chunks in a later room. Once all of the nightmare chunks were shattered, a pink Pi'illo showed up.

"Thank you for saving me!" the Pi'illo thanked. "My spirit quailed, but I had faith I would be saved!" then, Dreambert and Dreamy Jewel stepped in. "Oh, my feathers! Your Royal Highnesses! It's been an age! Did you trouble yourselves to bring me back?"

"It wasn't us! It was Mario and his friends!" Dreamy Jewel corrected as she directs to the heroes.

"Ah, everyone! My thanks!"

"No problem!" Kirby chirped.

"Many Pi'illos remain trapped still." Dreambert informed. "If only you could save them all… We are truly in your debt! Back to the real world!"

The pink Pi'illo glows and a bright light surrounded everyone. At the real world, the pillow began to wiggle with colorful sparkles emitting out of it.

* * *

Mario and his friends came out of the portal, which disappears as Luigi wakes up, followed up by Jewel. Both stood up and watched the pillow transforming into the pink Pi'illo.

"Oh joy! I am free!" the pink Pi'illo beamed.

"Interesting… If we break the nightmare chunks, the Pi'illos go back to normal, huh?" Starlow spoke.

"Correct." Dreambert replied. "Mario and his friends can shatter the chunks…and that's why I need them. Everyone… My thanks for saving one of my and Jewel's people… Many of them remain imprisoned, and I wish to save all that I can. I would very much appreciate your help in this trial!" he then turns to the pink Pi'illo and asks: "By the way… Have your eyes fallen upon a princess named Peach within the dream world? These people seek her…"

"Princess Peach… I am sorry, but no. I have seen nothing." The Pi'illo answered.

"Alas…"

"Oh… Perhaps the elder? Eldream, the Pi'illo elder… He might be of help… His mind holds all that is known of the dream world… Doubtless he will bring some enlightenment to you. I sense Eldream is somewhere to the south of here."

"Hey! South of here is Mushrise Park!" Jewel piped up. "Finally an obvious reason for us to go there!"

"Yeah, but first we need to get out of here…" Mario pointed out.

"Ah! Of course…" the pink Pi'illo then flies to a closed door. "Click!" in an instant, the door moved down, revealing more road up ahead. "Follow this path to ascend from the underground!"

"Thank you!" Starlow thanked before the group moved on.

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

After freeing more Pi'illos, they finally reached the exit of this underground area, which was a green pipe that will take them aboveground.

"Hey, Dreambert." Jewel called for him.

"Yes, my princess?" Dreambert turned to her.

"Before we reach the surface, I want you to answer these questions for me and my friends: how were you and the other Pi'illos trapped in those nightmare chunks? Why did the Chaos Emerald trap Sonic's friend like that? And what exactly happened to me in the past?"

"With pleasure. Allow me to enlighten you… We Pi'illos inhabited this island long ago. Our people were blessed with the ability to travel in and out of the dream world…even you, Jewel. All thanks to this Magical Pillow you hold with you. It was a gift from me and your father, who was half human, half Pi'illo, just like you."

"I'm… I'm half human and half Pi'illo?" Jewel breathed.

"Correct. While your father was the king of the Pi'illo Kingdom, your mother was the queen of the Star Realm. Normally, Pi'illos don't have immortality, but since the star people have… I assume that's why you remained as an adult like this for many years, since you possess your mother's immortality gene, which allows you to keep this appearance upon you reach 18 years. That makes you and your sister both have immortality."

"Oh… Now it makes sense… My sister is the princess of the Star Realm, so she's assuming my mother's place, while I'm assuming my father's…"

"That's absolutely correct. Now, on the island there existed two stones… The Dream and Dark Stones, both granters of wishes. The Dream Stone was formed of happy dreams… The Dark Stone, a solid manifestation of nightmares… The safekeeping of these stones was tasked to our king… But we grew lax and the king and queen had two daughters… And at the day they were born, the bat king, Antasma, stole the Dark Stone… He sought to fulfill his own wish! At great risk and great cost, the king and queen hid their daughters in their respective castles and led us to fight and corner Antasma… But just as Antasma was to be imprisoned in the dream world… He shattered the stolen Dark Stone, placed a curse on this island and killed the king and queen!"

"Oh no…" Jewel gasped.

"And then…the Pi'illos' true doom came to pass. A black rain of nightmare chunks from the Dark Stone fell all over the island… As they were exposed to the chunks, they were all petrified… Luckily, I was able to escape the rain, but I noticed that one of the chunks was heading towards the young Princess Jewel, who was kept inside the castle. Acting quickly, I picked her up and fled with her to the Pi'illo Temple, located at the heart of Somnom Woods, which was safer than the castle. I then entrusted her care to the woods' inhabitants, the Nommons, until she reaches 18 years, where she would move to Pi'illo Castle. And that's where...the same fate as the Pi'illos came true. I was the last one to be petrified…"

Jewel had the look of horror and sadness in her face; it made sense she couldn't remember anything from her past since she was too young. But how couldn't she remember her father and her mother, and especially Prince Dreambert, the one who sacrificed himself to prevent her from being petrified? Tears slowly began to appear in her eyes.

"I had no idea…" she whimpered. "I can't believe I didn't remember anything from my past…" Dreambert flew to her and patted her shoulder. "Dreambert…" she looked at him. "Do you…have something from my parents?"

"Hmm… I think I have a picture of them right here." Dreambert takes out a picture and hands it to Jewel.

Jewel looked at the picture closely. She saw her own parents, who were killed by Antasma, holding her and her sister as babies. Both parents had black hair, with her father's being short and her mother's being long, thus explaining Jewel's long hair. As if Jewel wasn't crying right now, it became intense that it even made her eyes turn red and she holds the picture close to her heart.

"Mother… Father…" she sobbed. All of her friends watched her with saddened looks in their faces; they felt bad for her, since she only discovered her past right now.

"Dreambert, what about that curse you mentioned while Antasma shattered the Dark Stone and killed Jewel's parents? Do they involve my friends?" Sonic asked, trying to hold his sadness.

"That curse… According to what he said while cursing the island was that… He heard about seven mystical gems that can give unlimited power, and he said they aren't from this world. He swore that if one day these gems show up next to the Dreampoints, they would be encased in nightmare just like with the Pi'illos, and if someone is holding the gem, he or she would be forever trapped in the dream world…until the nightmare chunk from said gem is shattered in the dream world. All works in the same case as the Pi'illos, as you can see." Dreambert answered.

"So it's true… All of my friends have a Chaos Emerald, which is the name of the gem you mentioned, and must of have suffered this curse and are now trapped in the dream worlds... That's why they never showed up…"

"But I don't get it; how did Antasma knew about the Chaos Emeralds?" Tails puzzled.

"I'm pretty sure he wants even more power. And after hearing about those Chaos Emeralds, he settled that he should have their unlimited power. So he attempted to obtain it by shrouding them into nightmare." Dreambert stated. "Now that you all know what's going on, that is why I ask… We must help as many of my and Jewel's Pi'illos as we can. The Pi'illo Kingdom can rise again if we are brave and true. And as we go about this great work, we may well find your princess and Sonic's friends…"

"Hmm, now that I think about it… Could Peach's kidnapper be Antasma?" Mario suspected. "That's what my heart is telling me, for some reason…"

"And if Antasma wants more power… Oh no! That is really bad!" Luigi exclaimed horrified. "He might be wanting to steal Peach's star power!"

"Her star power?! Oh, hell no! We can't allow that!"

"Star power?" Sonic tilted his head.

"Oh, right. You see, Sonic… I, Luigi and Peach are what the star people call the Star Children, individuals who possess an extraordinary amount of power thanks to the Magical Stars sleeping in our hearts. There are seven of them in total, and unbelievably, Bowser appears to be a Star Child too. We became Star Children ever since we were newborns, so that makes our younger selves possess that power as well." He looks at Baby Mario and Baby Luigi at the last sentence, who both looked astonished. Mario then continues: "The power of these Magical Stars can only be activated when the ruler of the Star Realm or a Star Sprite offers their blessing to the individual. However, there's only one downside to this: these Stars are so powerful that one can rule the world if he or she collects all of them."

"Oh yeah! I remember that too! It was last year, right?" Starlow guessed. Mario nodded. "Yeah, that Dark Star almost managed to rule the entire Mushroom World with the power of the Magical Stars plus his dark power…"

"Oh, that's what my sister told you!" Jewel interfered.

"Wait, are you saying that your sister is Melissa?" Luigi guessed.

"That's right."

"Golly… No wonder why you two look similar."

"Hold on, if Antasma is set free, then what happened to him after he was trapped in the dream world?" Ribbon Girl asked.

"I have clarity up to the moment Antasma was brought to bay and trapped… But events after that are beyond the reach of my mind's eye…" Dreambert pondered. "But I do think… No, it cannot be…"

Everyone became silent for a bit, until Starlow broke it:

"Well… We're not getting anywhere by just navel gazing here! Our new priority has to be to get info from the Pi'illos! Let's get to it!"

"Starlow is right. Let's exit this dark area through this pipe." Mario said.

The rest nodded and went into the pipe, about to take them to a lovely park.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **What a sad backstory Jewel had... Until the next chapter! Please review.  
**


	6. Breezy Mushrise Park

**Here's the next chapter!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Breezy Mushrise Park**

The heroes emerged out of the green pipe and arrived at Mushrise Park: a local grassy park located just south of Pi'illo Castle. It was previously known as Mushrise Fields back at the Pi'illo Kingdom era. Today, this lovely breezy park had many patches of flowers, short trees, wind spinners with the Zeekeeper's face and hills were decorating this landscape, and there were many log-shaped platforms scattered around. We can see Toads, Beanish people, Hooskis, and Yoshis wandering around the park. The name Mushrise could be a portmanteau of 'mushroom' and 'rise' from the term "rise and shine!", since most of the locations in Pi'illo Island are named after names related to sleep.

"Here we are, Mushrise Park, the second most popular location in this island, losing only to Wakeport." Jewel informed.

"The wind is constantly blowing here…" Ribbon Girl spoke as she takes a deep breath to smell the fresh air. "Ahhh… Feels so nice to smell the fresh air here!"

"Yeah, I'm glad we're finally out of that mess in the underground!" Kirby chirped.

The group then moved on to the central area of the park, where they heard a Brock's voice:

"Aw, dis is brutal! Talk about a disaster!"

The screen scrolls down, showing a brock wearing a blue cap with a small yellow turbine looking like a small propeller, a triangular mustache and blue boots. He appears to be the proprietor of the park. A normal Brock was standing at his side.

"Wicked nor'easter blew dese rocks all over! We gotta get out in front a dis mess! GET CRACKIN'! We gotta get ridda all dese boulders by sundown!" the proprietor ordered.

"Sun…down?!" the Brock flinched.

"DID I STUTTER?! Or is it… Maybe you don't like orders, huh? From ya… SUPERVISOR?!"

"N-no, sir Brickle! Cleaning up, sir!" the Brock scurries off.

"Hey, excuse me?" Jewel went to the proprietor, called Brickle, with the rest following suit.

"Bah! Now who's dis?!" Brickle scolded.

"Um, you see, we have something to ask about…" Luigi started. But Brickle scoffs:

"I ain't got time to chitchat, pal! I gotta start breakin' dese boulders up."

"Hey!" Starlow got in front of Brickle, causing him to jump in startle:

"BAH!"

"You haven't seen a special pillow around, have you?"

"What's dat now?"

"It's a really old pillow. Probably musty and stiff. It might be somewhere inside this park."

"Uh… Dis thing?" Brickle shows a petrified Pi'illo, and everyone's eyes widened.

"Yes! It's this one!" Kirby exclaimed.

"Dere are a bunch of 'em round da park. I'm really lovin' dis one in particular." Brickle replied. "Thing just seems, like…historical or somethin'!"

"But that pillow is what we're looking for!" Sonic informed.

In an instant, Brickle froze.

"Psssh! You show up here, in my park, wantin' my special pillow? You gotta lotta nerve! Like I ain't already got a full plate!" Brickle scoffed before snatching the pillow as he starts to run away.

"HEY! Where are you going?!" Sonic growled.

"Tell you what. You want it? Ya gotta hafta TAKE it!" Brickle taunted before fleeing.

"NO!" Sonic yelled. "God dammit! That guy is a nonsense distraction just to delay us from saving the elder!"

"Then what are we waiting for? After him!" Mario demanded.

Just as they were about to chase after Brickle, a strong gust of wind passed by them.

"Eh? What's this wind?" Luigi wondered.

"Huh? That wind is going after…"

Tails couldn't finish as they saw the wind heading to a wind spinner. The strong gusts caused the wind spinner's blades to detach from it. One of the blades fell over a boulder on the right, next to a pair of hammers, while the other one fell…

"OW!" …on someone.

Without the blades, no wind was blowing the wind spinner, causing the water machine, which was powered up by wind from that wind spinner, to malfunction and stop working. With that, the flowers on the left side immediately wilted.

"Did I just saw those flowers immediately wilt as soon as the water stopped?!" Ribbon Girl questioned. "I'm pretty sure flowers don't work that way!"

"Well, the Mushroom World has things that aren't following the rules of real life." Jewel pointed out.

"True… Now I can see why many people in my world calls the Mushroom World 'a world of fantasy'."

" ***sigh*** looks like we'll have to find that wind spinner's blades so that we can chase after the owner of the park…" Sonic sighed.

"I can see one of them right above that boulder." Kirby pointed. "But I guess we'll need something strong enough to break it so we can get that blade."

"Something strong? Then hammer will be!" Baby Mario pulls out his hammer and runs towards the large boulder with the blade over it.

"NO, WAIT!" Baby Luigi prevented Baby Mario to hammer the boulder by grabbing hold of his arm. "I don't think our hammers can break something that hard! After all, Toadsworth told us they can only break things made of wood!"

"Oh…" Baby Mario lowers his hammer. "Then that means we'll need stronger hammers to break this boulder."

"How about we search for new hammers later? Because I found another petrified Pi'illo right here." Jewel directed to another petrified Pi'illo just behind the boulder.

"Alright. I could always use another nap anyways." Luigi agreed while shrugging at the last sentence.

He took a fell asleep on the pillow, and the portal shows up. Jewel sleeps on her Magical Pillow next as Mario and the gang dives into the portal.

* * *

The Dream World version of Mushrise Park, Dreamy Mushrise Park, looked very soothing: the sky was pure sapphire blue with blurry transparent flowers constantly flying slowly upwards and the same trees, hills and wind spinners at the background. There were also whirlwind shapes that look more like sunrays and floating yellow flowers at some parts of the background. The foreground was bright green, with small bushes, wooden fences, patches of grass that reached the surface, and yellow, orange, white and blue flowers decorating it. As soon as the heroes arrived at the dream world, they saw Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel standing next to a gate, and a gentle breeze blew on everyone's faces.

"Ahhh… Even the dream world has that fresh air!" Ribbon Girl smiled.

"Yeah, this dream is so calm and soothing… Just like it's music…" Dreamy Jewel spoke while closing her eyes and moving her head slowly to the left and to the right.

"Uh, what are you talking about? And why are you moving your head like that?"

"Eh, it's just a minor fourth-wall breaking, since Jewel is representing the Author." Sonic explained.

"Oh."

"Say, is it just me, or am I seeing a lot of blocks and platforms that are out of place?" Mario noticed a few Wing Item Blocks all the way in the background, plus some platforms held by two flapping blades like the ones from the wind spinners.

"Nope, you're not the only one who thinks that." Sonic shook his head. "We have to find a way to drag all of them to our perspective!"

They walked forward, until Dreamy Luigi caught a glimpse of something in the sky at the background.

"Guys! Check that out!" he called out for them.

What Dreamy Luigi saw was a swirly thing that looked like a whirlwind, showing a faint silhouette of Luigi's face.

"Hm! That looks like another Luiginary Work!" Dreamy Jewel pointed out as Dreamy Luigi's body began to react with the whirlwind. "Become one with the whirlwind, Dreamy Luigi!"

Dreamy Luigi then zooms into the whirlwind, now showing his face much more clearly.

"So, how does that one work?" Tails asked.

"Hmm… I guess this one involves wind." Dreambert guessed. "From here on, we require real-world assistance. Dreamy Jewel, use one of your gemstones to call Starlow!"

"Leave it to me!" Dreamy Jewel nodded before taking out a shiny Moonstone from her pocket.

"Huh? What's the meaning of this?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"My main weapons are all based on various gemstones. Each gemstone offers different powers and spells. In this case, the Calling Moonstone allows me to call to other people that are far away from me or are out of reach." Dreamy Jewel explained. "So I'm going to call Starlow with the Calling Moonstone, and while she'll hear me through telepathy, we'll hear her voice from the Moonstone. Watch this."

Dreamy Jewel makes her Calling Moonstone glow before speaking on it:

"Starlow! Can you hear me?"

* * *

 _ **At the real world…**_

"Huh?! What?! Did I just hear a voice talking to me in my head?!" Starlow looked around in confusion.

" _Starlow, it's me! Princess Jewel! Can you hear me?"_ Jewel's voice echoed in Starlow's head again.

"Jewel? Yes, I can hear you. How are you doing this?"

" _I'm using my Calling Moonstone, a gemstone that allows me to communicate with you telepathically."_

"Oh, I see. So what do you need?"

" _Well… Do you see something odd on Luigi's face?"_

"Nothing changed on him. Except…his nose is suddenly showing small green sparkles."

" _Green sparkles on his nose? That's it! Starlow, try scratching his nose!"_

"Huh? Scratch his nose?! First the stache, now the nose?! What're you, five years old?!"

" _I know this sounds crazy, but trust me, Starlow. I and my friends know what we're doing."_

"Alright. For now on I'll humor whatever weird sleep requests you make."

" _Good! All right, I'll call you later. Guys, get ready to hold firmly on the ground!"_

Once Dreamy Jewel ends the call, Starlow flies close to Luigi's nose:

"Hmm, right here? On the schnozz? Well, here goes nothing!"

She then finds a bird's feather nearby on the ground, picks it up with her teeth, and tickles Luigi's nose with it. With that…

"…aaaaah… ACHOOO!" Luigi let out a sneeze.

* * *

 _ **At the Dream World…**_

At the same time when Luigi sneezed, suddenly, the Luigi whirlwind at the background sends out a very strong gust of wind, causing the blocks and the platforms to move to the foreground. Thankfully, our heroes were already holding on to the ground as firmly as they could to avoid getting blown away.

"Well, that was something…!" Sonic groaned once the wind stopped and everyone stood up.

"I'll say." Tails nodded.

"Dreamy!" Dreamy Jewel beamed. "That whirlwind blasts the entire area with a strong wind gust when Luigi sneezes! As an added benefit, it blows background objects closer! Wind and sneezing… That sounds like a: Luiginary Sneeze Wind!"

The group then moved on, using the Luiginary Sneeze Wind to reach the airborne Nightmare Chunks, which were four in total. After shattering all of them, a blue Pi'illo was freed.

"It's time for you to go back to your own world!" he grinned. "Here we go!"

The blue Pi'illo glows brightly, and the petrified pillow at the real world wiggles while emitting colorful sparkles.

* * *

After the heroes came back to the real world, Luigi and Jewel woke up with the portal closing. The pillow then transforms into the blue Pi'illo.

"OH YEAH! Now THAT was a nap!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, this kind of Pi'illo looks different!" Tails noticed.

"Oh, liberators! I must thank you! I owe you one!"

"You're welcome." Jewel replied.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?" the Pi'illo's eyes widened. "Princess Jewel?! You look so different than before I went to sleep! Wait…how long was I asleep?!"

"For almost a million years. And you were trapped as a simple pillow."

"Really? That makes sense about how much you have grown, your highness. Anyways, thanks for rescuing me. How can I ever repay you? The only skill I have is flinging things really high!"

"Oh! So that's how we'll be able to reach that platform up there!" Kirby exclaimed while pointing upwards. "Please, take us up there!"

"Sure!"

The Pi'illo then flings everyone one by one up to the top of the tall log-shaped platform. They continued on the path until it led them to…two brand new hammers!

"Hey! New hammers!" Baby Mario squealed as he runs towards them. "And they look pretty tough!"

"Except that they're too heavy for us…" Baby Luigi inspected.

"Not to worry! I and Luigi can carry them with no problems!" Mario grinned.

He and Luigi walked over to the hammers and picked them up.

"Wow! They're actually Ultra Hammers!" Luigi beamed as he looks at his hammer.

"So they're strong enough to break these boulders!" Mario confirmed.

"All right! Now it's double brothers with double hammers!" Baby Mario fist pumped, causing the adult brothers to chuckle a little.

They all went down, where Mario hammers the boulder, causing it to break, and the blade falls down on the ground, allowing them to pick it up. For the other blade, they found it on the ground just southwest from where they found the first one, but were shocked to realize that the blade ended up hitting a poor Brock…until he revealed that he was just slacking off, causing them to facepalm before taking the final blade.

They gave both feathers to a Brock near the water machine and he fixed both blades onto the wind spinner. With that, the wind spinner starts spinning again, and the water machine was working. The machine sprayed the water on the wilted flowers, and they bloomed back.

"All right! Now we can chase after that jerk!" Sonic exclaimed.

They all hopped on the flowers and continued on their path to Brickle, with Mario and Luigi destroying some boulders in the way, saving a Toad from two Thorbs and fighting dozens of Capnaps and Thorbs in a certain area.

* * *

Soon, they came upon an area where they heard Brickle's laugh:

"Bahaha!"

They saw that Brickle was up ahead standing on top of a pink Zeekeeper fountain.

"Actually made it? Wow, go figure!" Brickle rolled his eyes playfully.

"We finally found you! Now just give us that damn pillow before things get ugly!" Sonic demanded bitterly.

"Bah! BAHA! Unless you knuckleheads catch me, y'ain't gettin' squat! BAHAHA!"

"Oh, you think that's funny?!" Mario growled.

"Hah! In your dreams!" Luigi hissed.

"A'ight, playtime's done. I really gotta get back to work." Brickle said. "I'll just…uh… Whuh-oh!" he was starting to lose his balance. Unfortunately, he ends up falling into the fountain's hole, causing the water to stop flowing and more flowers wilted.

"Here we go again…" Ribbon Girl rolled her eyes.

"HYUUP!" Brickle yelled, struggling to get out of the fountain. "WIGGLE! IT! HYUUUURGH! MRRRFFFFF!"

"Seriously?!" Starlow facepalmed.

"If he would have just given us the pillow…" Sonic sighed while shaking his head.

"If I can…just…GAAAAAH!" Brickle kept struggling. "My back…"

"Well, no use crying over spilt stardust…" Jewel stated. "Everyone, let's see if we can help him. If we don't, we'll never get Eldream's pillow."

"Hmm… Can we get on top of the fountain?" Luigi pondered.

"I think it's way too high for us to reach it." Mario shook his head. "Let's walk around to try to find a way to help him."

The group nodded and walked around until they found a Warp Pipe, taking them to an underground cave. There, they find a machine that pumps the fountain's water up. There were four buttons on the machine, so the four Mario Bros had to hammer them once the roulette stops at the blue oval, which will add more pressure to the water.

Back at the surface, suddenly, the fountain starts to rumble.

"HUH?!" Brickle flinched. "My…rumpus room!" then, the fountain goes wild. "WHAT'S BUMPIN'…DA RUMP?! DAT AIN'T OK!"

Eventually, the fountain bursts, flinging Brickle into the air and a large amount of water came out, blooming the flowers again. The fountain's cap flies all the way above the island…and it broke through the glass of our…computer, phone, or whatever, before detaching out resulting the whole glass broken and falling down back.

At Brickle's Maintenance Hut, birds were chirping as a peaceful robot was watering the plants…until the fountain's cap landed RIGHT on its head, causing it to go haywire.

Back at the park, Brickle falls down on the ground before slowly standing up and walking towards the now broken fountain.

"Ow… Ow ow ow ow…" he groaned. "Da…symbol of da park. Da Zeekeeper fountain."

Then, the whole gang came back.

"Whoa, what just happened to the fountain?" Luigi was surprised.

"Did we end up putting too much pressure to it?" Baby Luigi guessed.

"Yeah…so it exploded." Baby Mario finished.

"Buhhhh… Whyyyyy?" Brickle cried out.

"Sorry about that…" Mario apologized.

"At least you're not…hurt!" Starlow said.

"All my work, gone! GONE! BAHAHAHA!" Brickle laughed.

"Okay, that guy is weird." Sonic claimed. "He got over that rather quickly…"

"Yeah, thing is, I already made a new waterin' machine. I was gonna scrap dat fountain soon anyway!"

"So we actually helped you?" Tails tilted his head.

"Never expected that…" Kirby threw in.

"Well, whatever. Will you give us that pillow now?" Ribbon Girl asked.

"Hmmm…" Brickle takes out the pillow. "Whaddaya need it for?"

"You see, that's not just any old pillow. It's Eldream, one of the elders of the Pi'illo Tribe!" Jewel told.

"No WAY! Eldream the Pi'illo?!"

"Yeah! That's him!"

"…Who dat?" Brickle raised an eyebrow, causing Mario, Luigi, Ribbon Girl and Jewel to sigh while shaking their heads, Sonic, Tails and Starlow to facepalm, and Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and Kirby to face-fault. "Aw, whatever. I'll letcha use dat old pillow in da maintenance hut." He hands the pillow to Jewel.

"All right! Finally!" Sonic fist pumps.

"Thanks a lot, sir Brickle!" Jewel thanked.

"No probs, your highness!" Brickle replied. "Oh, and I got somethin' for ya. For helpin' ol' Brickle out!" he gives a Green Shell to the babies.

"Yay! Thank you!" Baby Mario thanked cheerfully.

"Don't mention it. As for dis pillow…" Brickle jumps on some flowers on the right side. "The maintenance hut's just ahead. Place da pillow dere. Be waitin'!" he leaves.

"I think this might just work, guys!" Jewel exclaimed.

Everyone proceeds to the hut.

* * *

As they were reaching it, they felt a quick earthquake as they heard a Brock shouting:

"NOOOOO!"

They moved forward a little, only to feel another earthquake and hear the same Brock's shout:

"BOSS BRICKLE!"

Another shake.

"YOU ALIVE?!" another Brock yelled.

"What's going on down there?" Ribbon Girl wondered.

"Whatever's happening, it doesn't sound good!" Luigi spoke frantically.

The group hurried down the platforms, where they saw four Brocks panicking at the hut's entrance, with one of them shouting:

"Grobot, no! Bad robot! Cut it out! Stop! Abort!"

"Boss Brickle!" another one cried out.

"Don't give up!" another encouraged.

"I need a raise!" the last one begged.

The heroes went inside the hut to find out the problem. There was nothing in it.

"…Where's the problem?" Tails wondered.

All of a sudden, Grobot came down from the sky and landed right behind the heroes.

"WHOA!" they all startled.

That's where they noticed that Grobot was holding Brickle on its left 'hand'.

"Oh my!" Jewel flinched.

"YAARGH!" Brickle panicked. "IT'S ON DA FRITZ! My Grobot is outta control!"

To the heroes' surprise, Grobot threw Brickle out of the hut and he crashed on the ground behind the Brocks.

"BOSS BRICKLE!" all the Brocks cried out as they rushed to Brickle, who had his head stuck in the ground upside-down.

"You OK?"

"Boss Brickle!"

"LIVE, dangit!"

"Can I have next weekend off?"

Grobot let out a spark of short-circuit, catching the heroes' attention.

"You guys ready?" Mario asked the gang.

"Ready!" the rest replied, standing in their battle stances.

"Then let's go!" Mario declared as they all got into battle.

Grobot starts by charging after Mario, but he countered with his hammer. Sonic took the opportunity to Spin Dash at it while Mario and Luigi attack it with their Red Shell Bros Attack.

Grobot then shoots out many water bubbles from its 'mouth' at the heroes. Mario, Luigi, Sonic, the babies, Jewel and Ribbon Girl managed to dodge the incoming water bubbles, while Tails destroyed some of them with his arm cannon's blasts and Kirby inhaled one of them, turning into Water Kirby.

Water Kirby does his Wave Attack, where he spits out small blobs of water that travels along the ground like waves, at Grobot. Jewel joined in the water fight by sending out a straight water geyser with her Water Aquamarine at Grobot.

Then, Ribbon Girl noticed that Grobot was starting to short-circuit after being hit by many water attacks. Well, if water can damage a robot enough, then how about with electricity? She then equips a Sparky on both hands, charges them up and sends them at Grobot. With that, Grobot was now badly damaged with that electric attack and began to short-circuit even worse than before, causing it to remain stunned.

The babies took the chance to finish it with their new Green Shell that they received from Brickle. Baby Mario places the shell next to his feet and kicks it at Grobot. The shell bounces off of Grobot, heading to Baby Luigi next, who kicks the shell back. The attack ended just like with the adult brothers' Red Shell, with Baby Mario doing a charged final kick at Grobot, and that's where it exploded.

"Oh… We just destroyed another machine…" Baby Luigi remarked.

"We…had to destroy it. It was the only way to save Brickle." Baby Mario stated.

"Oh no… No…" speaking of Brickle…

"Uh oh…" Tails gulped.

"My Grobot… What've dey done to ya, pal?" Brickle lamented.

"We're sorry about your robot." Kirby apologized upon getting rid of his Water Copy Ability.

"I'm pretty sure something really hard must of have hit it to make it go haywire." Ribbon girl suspected as she retracts her arms and takes off her Sparkys.

"Yeah… One of da fountain pieces musta hit 'im." Brickle guessed. "Short-circuited his polite processor. Dis is all my fault… Sorry, guys. Well, you're free to use my bed whenever ya want." He directs to a lonely bed next room. "Just wash dem sheets every now and den."

The group thanked him and went towards the bed. It had a wooden board with nice and clean blue sheets with a circle of yellow and white flowers pattern on their bottom. There was also another petrified Chaos Emerald lying on the bed, emitting a dark aura.

"Another Chaos Emerald shrouded in nightmare… I was right." Sonic confirmed. "My friends also suffered the same fate as Tails…"

"So that leaves two more individuals to rescue." Jewel said. "Alright, let's enter the dream world and find those nightmare chunks!"

Jewel then sets Eldream's pillow on the bed after shoving carefully the Chaos Emerald a bit to the left. She walks to the right side of the bed as Luigi rests on the pillow to make a portal appear. Jewel sees that her pillow turned green this time.

"That's it! My pillow changes to the color of the Chaos Emerald we're freeing from the nightmares!" she concluded.

"Wait, so that Emerald is the green one, then! And I gave it to… Oh, great…" Sonic groaned.

"What? Who did you gave the green Emerald to, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"You'll see soon…"

Jewel then rests on her pillow and Mario and his crew dives into the portal.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **That line Brickle says when his Grobot goes haywire is one of my favorite lines from the whole game. I also decided to split the Bros Attacks between the adult and baby Mario Brothers. So some of the Bros Attacks from the game will be performed by either the adult or baby bros in my story that I chose.**

 **Just by seeing Sonic's reaction, which one of his friends could be trapped in the dream world of Mushrise Park? We'll see that next time! Please review.**


	7. Dreamy Mushrise Winds

**Sorry I took so long; I had some things to do to get ready for my second semester of collage, starting at August.**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Dreamy Mushrise Winds**

The heroes arrived back at a much larger area of Dreamy Mushrise Park, where they were greeted once again by Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel.

"I sense we will find Eldream somewhere in this dream world." Dreambert stated. "I am almost certain that he is trapped in a nightmare chunk just like with Sonic's friend being trapped in that Chaos Emerald."

"Yeah, but the question is, where?" Mario pondered. "The nightmare chunks could be anywhere!"

"SOOOOONIIIIC!" just then, they heard a familiar squealing voice coming from up ahead.

"Oh no…" Sonic groaned.

In an instant, he was caught in a tight hug by none other than Amy Rose, who was apparently the one trapped in this dream world. She wasn't wearing her traditional red dress and boots this time, instead, she was wearing her sportswear from the _Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games_ series, which is a pink dress with white inlay pink wristbands, short black tights and pink sneakers. She wanted to wear a different outfit for this vacation since it was very hot in the island.

"There you are! I was soooo worried that you'd never show up!" she squealed, still hugging him.

"A-AMY! We have s-something important t-to take c-care off! Also, I CAN'T BREATHE!" Sonic gasped for air.

"Oh, sorry!" Amy lets go of him. "I was just really happy, that's it."

"Amy! So you're trapped in this dream world, then?" Tails said.

"Yeah, I was just taking a stroll around the park, and when I reached close to Brickle's hut, the Chaos Emerald just sucked me into it and sent me here."

"Just like how it happened to Tails…" Dreamy Luigi confirmed.

"Wait a minute… Do you all hear that?" Ribbon Girl interfered once she heard a hopping noise.

Everyone looked back and saw a pink fluffy bunny doing some small hops.

"Bunny!" Baby Mario chirped.

"Aww, it's so cute!" Amy smiled.

"Hold up, what's that it's carrying on its ears?" Sonic noticed something on the bunny; it was holding a nightmare chunk on its ears! "Could it be?!"

"Yes! It's the nightmare chunk!" Dreamy Luigi exclaimed before leaping after the bunny, but it hopped away. Mario attempted to leap after the bunny next, but it managed to get away. "Aw, it got away…"

"There's no doubt Eldream must be inside that chunk!" Dreambert undoubted. "After that bunny!"

"I feel this is going to be a long chase…" Sonic sweatdropped.

"But…why are we going after that bunny, anyways?" Amy asked with a confused expression. "And who's this Eldream person you've been saying?"

The heroes had no choice but to explain Amy everything that is happening. After telling her everything, they eventually heard a recognizable voice from behind:

"Yo… You guys need somethin' or somethin'?" none other than Brickle showed up! "Da name's Brickle. I run dis park."

"What the…? How…?" Sonic tilted his head.

"Did you forget already? That is Brickle from the dream world, just like how Dreamy Luigi and I are our consciousness from the dream world." Dreamy Jewel reminded. "Everything Luigi has met in the real world is created in his dreams by his subconscious."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I love dis place, y'know? And you can see why!" Brickle continued. "Can't believe we still got trouble attractin' visitors! Gotta be somethin' special, yeah… Somethin' dynamic… Add a little pizzazz to da place, yeah… Somethin'." He then disappears.

"Well, let's not dilly-dally anymore. We have a bunny to catch!" Sonic said.

When they all arrived at the next area, they caught a glimpse of that same bunny. Mario took the opportunity to leap after it again, but it hopped to avoid his leaping, resulting in him falling face-first on the ground and the bunny fleeing again.

"Drat! So close…" Mario muttered.

"You see dat just now?" Brickle came back.

"Well, we're basically trying to catch that bunny since he's carrying an old guy with it." Kirby explained in short.

"An old guy? A bunny? Aw, I dunno… But dat bunny was real cute."

" _That's exactly what I said!_ " Amy thought while frowning.

"Hey. HEY! Dat's it! Dat bunny's da key! People is gonna come in droves… A gentle breeze waftin' on da grass as a bunny hops… Li'l Mushrise Park mascot! Oh yeah, dat'll woik!"

"What in the world are you even saying?" Ribbon Girl raised an eyebrow.

"Done! Dat's da plan! Gotta catch dat bunny!"

"But WE are the ones who're trying to catch it too!" Mario interfered.

"Hmm… You know what dat makes us… Rivals."

"What?! Oh god…not again!" Sonic facepalmed while shaking his head.

"What's wrong?" Amy wanted to know.

"It's a long story…" Tails sweatdropped.

Suddenly, Brickle puts on rabbit ears and holds a small carrot in his hand before teasing:

"Bahahaha… Check da ears… Best just give up now, fellas. Ain't no way dat bunny resists dis juicy carrot. I'm catchin' dat bad boy first!" he scurries off.

"God dammit! We're dealing with that jerk not once but twice in a row?! Give me a break!" Sonic complained.

"Well, at least he doesn't want the nightmare chunk." Dreamy Luigi shrugged.

"I know, but still… I'm starting to get sick of that guy."

" ***sigh*** let's just go and find that bunny." Mario sighed before the group pressed on.

They had to deal with more of the Luiginary Sneeze Wind and defeat Dreamcaps on their way to Brickle. Then, they finally caught up with him and we could see the dream world's version of that fountain that just blew up at the real world in the background. Unlike in the real world, that fountain was much larger.

"Here, bunny bunny! Come an' get it!" Brickle said playfully while trying to offer the bunny the carrot, but it kept backing off. "GRABBA!" he leaps at it just like how Mario and Dreamy Luigi did, but the bunny hopped to avoid that and ran off again. "OK, so… Dis may require a bigger carrot. So cute… Dat thing is exactly what I need… Ain't nobody comin' to da park otherwise… Bahaha…" he chases after the bunny again.

"I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but somehow, I'm kind of feeling bad for Brickle…" Dreamy Jewel pondered. "He just wants that bunny so that he could find a way to attract visitors…"

"Yeah, but too bad that he doesn't know that this is literally Luigi's dreams and he would have to materialize the people we saw at the real world in order to make visitors appear in here." Tails shook his head. "So even if Brickle catches that bunny, no one would show up."

"Not to mention that Luigi would have to remember ALL of the people we saw at the park, and I doubt he would remember everyone." Ribbon Girl threw in.

"You don't even have to doubt, Ribbon Girl…" Dreamy Luigi sweatdropped.

"Hmm… Changing the subject a little, but isn't that the same fountain we broke back at the real world?" Kirby eyed at the gigantic fountain.

"I think it is!" Dreamy Jewel beamed.

"Wow… But why is it so big?" Baby Luigi's eyes widened.

"Maybe it could be used for something?" Mario guessed.

"Oh! How about we try to recreate that same event we just did back at the real world?" Baby Mario suggested.

"You mean explode that fountain with too much pressure?" Baby Luigi remarked.

"Not explode! Make it spray water!" Baby Mario replied. "Remember, the fountain only exploded just because Brickle was blocking the opening."

"Oh, right! Now it makes sense!"

"I can see that fountain's pipeline right over there!" Dreamy Jewel pointed to the blue pipes on the ground. "If we follow them, it could lead us to the fountain's machine!"

The gang moved on, only to find Brickle once again, holding two large carrots on each hand this time. He was bouncing on one of the large wilted flowers.

"Bunny bunny! Ol' Brickle ain't gonna hurt ya!" Brickle spoke playfully.

The bunny was now on top of some very high clouds, making it unreachable. Brickle bounces off from the wilted flower and speaks for himself:

"Bah… I gotta water dese plants—get 'em to grow up to dat spot."

"Looks like we got more flowers to water…" Ribbon Girl sighed. Brickle heard her and turned around to see the gang.

"You guys again!" he flinched and goes back to bounce on the wilted flower. "Dis ain't good. I gotta get dese flowers ta grow right now! If I don't, dese guys'll snag my bunny!" he turns around and scolds: "Dere ain't no reason ta follow me around, guys. It's not like I'm gonna try ta make dese flowers grow… Heh… Why would I even do somethin' like dat? Gotta find dat bunny." He leaves again.

"Wait… Make the fountain spray water… Make flowers grow… Just like what happened in the real world… Wow! Younger me, you're a genius!" Mario appraised to his younger self. "We just gotta recreate exactly what we did in the real world!"

"I just LOVE when situations link to each other in different conditions!" Dreamy Jewel beamed cheerfully. "In the real world, we made the fountain work in order to save Brickle. And now in the dream world, we'll have to make the fountain work so we could reach the bunny!"

"Alright! So let's follow that pipeline and search for the fountain's pumping machine!"

They arrived at an area where a series of pipes were found all over it. They had to use a lot of the Luiginary Sneeze Wind in order to reach the machine. Just like with the fountain, the machine was huge. They even found Brickle standing on it, speaking for himself:

"Let's see here… First, I gotta turn dese feathers. Den dis pump'll start workin'. If I can turn on dis waterin' machine… Just gotta water dese flowers so I can get up dere… Den da bunny is mine, and Mushrise Park'll be a hit! Baha…hahahaha…"

"Hey! Thanks for the advice, kind sir!" Sonic spoke up, startling Brickle as he turned around and saw the gang again.

"Bah! What's da big idea? You spyin' on me?!" he scoffed. But then, something came into his mind and thinks out loud: "Hang on… Might be smart ta get dis group ta help…" he turns around and says: "Hey, ease up, you guys. Let's call us a truce. We oughta woik together. I could do it all by myself, but… I kinda got my hands full here. Can you take care of dat?"

"All right, fine. But you have to promise that you'll let us take something from that bunny. Wer'e actually chasing that bunny so we can nab something from it."

"Well, OK. Deal. I'll leave da rest to you."

They use the Luiginary Stache Tree to get up, which impressed Brickle. Brickle then gets send to where the heroes were with the Stache Tree and runs off again to get ready to catch the bunny once the flowers bloom.

"He never gives up, do he?" Amy sweatdropped.

"Nope." Sonic shook his head.

"Say, do you really think carrots will work for the bunny? Because it was backing away previously when Brickle was trying to offer it one." Kirby remarked.

"Probably not. I mean, that bunny looks too unrealistic to act like all bunnies do." Ribbon Girl stated. "Not to mention once again, that in Luigi's dreams, anything following the laws of reality can be broken."

"That's a good point. Well, let's make the fountain work again, since we need that nightmare chunk at any costs." Dreamy Jewel said.

They of course, activated the machine with the Luiginary Sneeze Wind. The roulette that was identical to the one in the real world spun and stopped at the three blue orbs. The blue pipe in the machine starts to suck up water and it began to flow into the blue pipe until it sprayed out in the pipes area.

To get the water to reach the fountain, the group went back into the pipes area and used the Luiginary Sneeze Wind to move the orange pipes to guide the water to the other main blue pipe that leads to the fountain. Once they finally accomplish that, the water sprays out a huge geyser from the fountain's opening, causing the water to rain all over the dream world.

This rain made more Luiginary Stache Trees grow along with the wilted flowers blooming one by one. The heroes exited the pipe area and found out that the flowers have bloomed.

"It worked!" Mario exclaimed. "Now we can reach the bunny!"

They first used the nearby Luiginary Stache Tree to launch themselves to the flowers. By bouncing on these flowers, they reached the cloud and went on.

They found themselves above the clouds filled with multiple rainbows in the background.

"So many rainbows!" Kirby beamed. "I'm loving this dream world!"

"I can't tell you how much I love rainbows!" Dreamy Jewel squealed.

"Yeah, because you literally have a rainbow of gemstones on your dress." Sonic chuckled. Dreamy Jewel giggled at that before the group continued on, until they finally found the bunny.

"There it is! Get back here!" Mario called out as the bunny started to flee once again, but it reached a dead end.

"Nowhere to run now!" Sonic smirked.

Then, the bunny hurls the nightmare chunk…RIGHT at Mario.

"OWCH!" he winced from the impact as he was knocked on the ground. The bunny hops away.

"Oh my! Are you okay, Mario?" Dreamy Jewel asked in concern as everyone looked down at Mario.

"I'm fine…" Mario groaned as he stands up.

"Okay, I'm glad that bunny finally handed us the nightmare chunk, but just slamming it at Mario's face is just harsh." Ribbon Girl stated while crossing her arms.

"Well, at least we finally have Eldream." Mario replied and picked up the nightmare chunk. "Now all we have to do is free him."

"HERE, BUNNY!" just as Mario was about to free the elder, Brickle's voice came in. He showed up in front of the group…dressed in a carrot costume. "Ooh, lookit da size of THIS carrot! Mm-MMM! Nummers! How tasty is DAT? You know you wanna! Come have a nibble!" he started to do some sort of fab and seductive poses while speaking. "Just…try not to bite my face."

The group had different reactions to that: Mario, Dreamy Luigi, Dreamy Jewel and Tails looked at each other with confused expressions, Sonic shook his head while shutting his eyes, Kirby and the babies were trying to hold their laugher, and Amy was whispering to Ribbon Girl:

"…Should we tell him that he looks ridiculous in that carrot costume?"

"I… I don't even know what to say about that…" Ribbon Girl whispered back.

"Bunny? You dere?" Brickle looked around, seeing that no bunny showed up.

"Sorry, but he's not here." Dreamy Luigi shook his head.

"BAH! Thought for sure I had 'im!" Brickle then digs through the clouds. "Yoo-hoo! Bunnybuns! Come getcha dinner!"

The heroes looked at each other for one more time before falling down back to the ground, where Mario destroys the nightmare chunk, freeing Eldream.

"Eh? What's going on here?" he dazed, until he realized that he could move again. "Would you look at that?! I can move! And talk! Could this… Were you the ones who saved me?"

"We were." Mario nodded while smiling. Eldream then falls down on his knees next to Mario while thanking:

"Thank you. I had just about given up on your generation!"

Just then, back at the real world, Eldream's petrified pillow began to wiggle while emitting colorful sparkles. In an instant, the pillow was back to its regular colors.

Back at the dream world, the heroes explained everything to Eldream.

"Eh?! Peach has been kidnapped? I guess I shouldn't be surprised." He replied.

"Yeah, and she was taken somewhere underground." Mario added.

"We were wondering if you know where she might be. After all, that's what the Pi'illos told us." Tails threw in.

"Oh dear… She's probably down in Dream's Deep." Eldream said crestfallen.

"Dream's Deep?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"Dream's Deep is, ah… Well, it's… You kids REALLY want to save Peach, huh?" a nod came from the heroes. Eldream let out a sigh before saying: "OK, then. I've been around the block a time or two, so I'll help you out."

"All right!" all of the heroes cheered.

"Thank you so much, Eldream!" Kirby thanked.

"You all saved my life! No need to thank me." Eldream replied. He then calls out loud: "FLUFFYKINS! COME TO PAPA!"

"Wait… Fluffykins?" Sonic flinched. Then, the same bunny that the heroes kept chasing for the entire time showed up! "You are KIDDING me! That bunny was Eldream's pet all along?! Also, who came up with that name?"

"Oh, quit questioning, Sonic. I find that name rather cute!" Amy squealed.

"Oh, how I've missed you, my little flufferbunny! You're such a good boy! Who's daddy's good boy?" Eldream spoke in a childish voice as he cuddles his pet bunny gently.

" _And to the fact that he was holding his papa all along…_ " Ribbon Girl thought.

"Ahem… This is Dreambunny. He's always there in a pinch!" Eldream introduced after cleaning his throat. He tells his pet: "All right, fluffykins! You know what to do!" he picks up fluffykins and tosses him into the air. "Hoyaa!"

Fluffykins' legs enclose together like a drill as Eldream hops on his head and holds his ears and by spinning rapidly, the duo digs a hole in the ground. The gang looked down where Eldream dug into in curiosity, until…

"HIYAAAA!" Eldream suddenly bursts out of the ground, startling the heroes in the process.

Eventually, a hole was created in the ground, with some purple-pinkish lights coming out of it.

"Yep! I just opened a path to Dream's Deep!" Eldream said once he and fluffykins came back down. "That's about the limit for this old boy. Hope this helps a bit!"

"It sure does!" Mario exclaimed.

"Is that right? Glad I could help."

"Eldream, just curious. What exactly is this Dream's Deep?" Kirby asked.

"The Dream's Deep is also known as the Dream Graveyard, and that's where Antasma was imprisoned after he trapped us in nightmare. That place is the deepest part of someone's dreams. Also, I'm afraid that this girl here won't be able to follow you down there." He directs to Amy.

"What?! Why?" Amy asked.

"I can sense that you're a prisoner in this dream world. Prisoners who enter the Dream's Deep can never exit it, no matter what. I can also sense some nightmare at the depths of Dream's Deep."

"Nightmare? Oh! You must be talking about the nightmare chunk imprisoning the Chaos Emerald!" Tails confirmed.

"I guess so. Ok, then. Jump into the light and rescue your princess!"

"Well, I guess I'll be sticking around here." Amy shrugged. "But Sonic, I own you for getting me out of here!" she glares at Sonic.

"Alright! Alright! We'll get you out, Amy! All we have to do is locate the nightmare chunk in the Dream's Deep!" Sonic replied.

Fluffykins does some hops, and Eldream speaks to him:

"And now, Mr. Flufferbuns! I've got a cuddle session with your name on it!"

"Ooh! Can I join?" Amy asked sweetly.

"Sure, young lady!" Eldream nodded. "I'll take care of her until she gets freed! Good luck!" he leaves with Amy.

The heroes then looked down into the hole for a moment.

"I wonder how the Dream's Deep will look like?" Ribbon Girl wondered.

"You took these words right out of my mouth." Kirby said.

"Is it dark down there? I really don't like dark places…" Baby Luigi shuddered.

"Don't worry, Luigi. I and dreamy older you will be with you all the way." Baby Mario spoke softly while placing his hand on Baby Luigi's shoulder.

"Alright, let's go in." Mario said as everyone jumped into the hole.

Soon, they found themselves falling down into a dark and twisted pit, unaware that Dreamy Luigi was somehow missing…

* * *

Back at the real world, Starlow was wondering when the group would come back:

"What's taking them so long? They have been in the dream world for an hour! They're freaking me out!"

All of a sudden, Luigi let out an odd moan, drooling deeply in his sleep. This got Starlow worried:

"Hmm? What's this? What's wrong, Luigi?"

She flies up to the Dream Portal and calls out loud:

"EVERYONE! Everything OK in there?" no response. "Wonder if they made it to the bottom of the dream world…"

"CONTACT!" suddenly, a voice came in. "FOUND 'EM!"

None other than the Elite Trio and Kamek showed up next to the bed.

"Ha! Napping, are we? My, how comfy!" Kamek teased.

"Hey, it's you guys! Why are YOU here?!" Starlow asked bitterly.

"Excuse me?! Ease up on the attitude, huh? Are you implying we SHOULDN'T be here?!"

"Oh, why, did you get an invite to this island, too? Somehow, I doubt it… There is no way Princess Jewel would invite you. I bet you heard about it… Yeah, I bet you just invited yourselves!"

"Affirmative!" Corporal Paraplonk nodded. "We got intel about an interesting little island… So we escorted Lord Bowser straightaway!"

"Any complains about it should be lodged with our elite fists!" Sergeant Guy threw in.

"Elite?!" Starlow's eyes widened.

"I KNOW! Bowser promoted all three of us!" Private Goomp exclaimed. "We're his elite personal guard!"

"I'm not feeling much eliteness…" Starlow commented, causing the Elite Trio to get mad with steam coming out of their heads.

"Enough blabbering!" Kamek settled. The Elite Trio calmed down as he continues: "His Grouchiness approaches even as we speak! His horns gleam with fury! His spikes sparkle with malice! Any second now! His Timeliness comes!"

Just then, Bowser came out of nowhere in the sky and landed where his group of minions were, knocking them all out.

"BOWSER!" Starlow flinched. "Wh-what do you want?!"

"Give it to me straight. Princess Peach is gone?" Bowser questioned. "Hello? That is MY thing! Only I get to kidnap her!" he stomps the ground in fury. "TREASON!"

"You heard that rumor and came here to find her? Sorry… Mario and his friends escorted her back to safety! Sooo… You're out of luck! Go have a nap on the beach!"

"BAH! I hate beaches as much as I hate your voice! But I don't have time to deal with you now. See, kidnapping Princess Peach is my calling in life! I don't care what you did; I'll find her and nab her!" he then notices the strange cloud above Luigi's head. "What's this stupid warpy thing?" he asked.

"No! Back! Stay away!" Starlow got in front of him.

"WHIFF! That warpy thing smells like her perfume!" Bowser was able to scent Peach's perfume…for some reason. "Oh yeah, she's in there. I'm sure of it!"

"N-nuh-uh!"

"You think I'll let Mario and his stinky gang find her before me?!" Bowser growled before immediately jumping into the portal.

"NO! STOP!" Starlow called out, but Bowser was already gone. "…Crud."

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **We're about to arrive at my favorite part of the whole game at the next chapter! Please review.  
**


	8. Dream's Forbidden Depths

**This chapter took me so long because I was attending my uncle and my aunt's wedding.**

 **Anyways, enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Dream's Forbidden Depths**

Mario and his gang slowly descended down until their feet touched the ground. They looked around and were fazed by this place: Dream's Deep, a dark and forbidden place located deep into the dream world that's nearly impossible to access. Everything was dark and we could see twisted versions of Luigi's facial features in the background. Not to mention that some Luigi holograms started to appear and move around the place in all directions.

"Whoa… This place sure is dark…" Tails was astonished, speaking quietly.

"You tell me…" Ribbon Girl threw in.

"We've arrived at Dream's Deep." Dreambert said. "I feel like I've been here before…"

"Isn't this the place where Antasma was imprisoned as Eldream mentioned?" Mario remarked.

"Probably…"

Behind them, Kirby was starting to get creeped out by this place while Baby Luigi was horrified and hugged Baby Mario in fear.

"I don't like this place…" Baby Luigi shuddered.

"Hey, don't worry. Dreamy older you will protect you." Baby Mario smiled. "Isn't it right, Dreamy Lui-…" but when he looked behind him, he found no sight of Dreamy Luigi. "Huh?! Where's Dreamy Luigi?"

Everyone heard Baby Mario and looked behind them. Indeed; Dreamy Luigi was nowhere to be seen!

"What the-?! That's weird." Sonic scratched his head. "What happened to him?"

"Hmm, I sense he's lost his way." Dreambert stated. "He's but a thread in the fabric of the dream world. I'm certain he'll return."

"Well, we need to focus on rescuing Peach!" Dreamy Jewel told.

"You're right, Jewel." Mario nodded. "Let's find her."

 _Big bro!_

Suddenly, everyone heard what appears to be Luigi's voice echoing around.

"Uh, what was that?" Kirby asked.

"No idea, but we better move on." Mario said.

They moved on a bit, until they were suddenly surprised by a large Luigi face followed up by these words:

 _TAKE ME WITH YOU!_

Then, a spinning Luigi hologram came next to them and spoke:

 _Big bro! Where's Peach?_

"…Luigi?" Mario breathed.

Next, a running Luigi hologram came from the left and said:

 _Big bro, please take me with you!_

Finally, a swaying Luigi hologram showed at the background:

 _Hey! Nobody mess with my bro!_

 _Big bro! I can help!_

The gang was already shocked about that, but what was even shocking was that the same large Luigi face showed up at the background.

"What in the…" Ribbon Girl was out of words.

"Ah, all is illuminated." Dreambert concluded. "This is the deepest reach of Luigi's dreams. Luigi's emotions are swirling around here. In a sense, this place is Dreamy Luigi himself."

The Luigi face then moved towards the screen past our heroes, startling them. Dreambert continues:

"The Dreamy Luigi we know may be here as well. But there's no use in looking for him. Let's forge ahead."

They all nodded despite being quite stunned by what they just witnessed and went on. As they were wandering around, they all began to hear all of Luigi's thoughts, feelings and wills toward his brother, Mario:

 _You're cool!_

 _I wanna go with you!_

 _My bro is the best!_

 _I fight ghosts!_

 _I can be strong!_

 _Big bro, I'm a ghost hunter!_

 _Don't fear ghosts…_

 _Big bro!_

 _Don't leave me!_

 _Big bro! Big bro!_

 _My bro rocks!_

 _I want to be a hero like my big bro!_

 _I wanna help!_

 _I'm not clumsy!_

 _I can jump high!_

 _Let me help!_

 _Big bro rocks!_

 _My bro rules!_

 _I wanna go too!_

 _Big bro! Are you okay?!_

 _I'll miss you on your adventure, big bro…_

Tears began to appear immediately in everyone's eyes. All of them in different perspectives.

Mario has never cried so much in his entire life. Sure, he sometimes cried during some of his other adventures, like wondering if Peach, his love of his life, is doing all right in Bowser's lair all by herself until he would come to rescue her, but that crying wasn't as much as this one, for sure. Mario knew his little brother for a very long time, but he never got to see his true thoughts and feelings towards him. That's where he came into conclusion about who Luigi truly is:

A caring brother. That's what Luigi is. He cares deeply for his brother; they are going to be together until the end. Luigi's true fear wasn't ghosts, nor dark, nor dying; his true fear was his brother ignoring him. Luigi fears that Mario will someday forget about him and go forward without him, since he's the center of attention to everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom. The fact that his older brother takes all the spotlight doesn't bother him. He's only afraid that his brother would leave him behind. Luigi also wishes to show to his brother that he's worth something rather than just rescue him from ghosts; not simply his sidekick, but his own **brother** and a second hero. Finally, he's also willing to sacrifice himself from anything for the sake of Mario. He doesn't care if he's doing this for a death situation; all he wants is to let Mario live so that he could still keep protecting the Mushroom Kingdom. So despite his flaws, Luigi would always be there for his brother.

"Luigi…" Mario quietly said as he lets a tear escape his eye and slide down his cheek.

Sonic hardly shows any sight of sadness. Heck, he never seemed to show sadness during his adventures, except back at that adventure in the Lost Hex, where he was slowly losing his friends and he showed a bit of sadness when he tried to communicate with them. But by hearing all of those thoughts coming from the young Mario Brother, he had to let out his sadness. Even if he's not acquainted with Luigi as much as his adoptive brother, Tails, he and the green brother were still close friends, and never thought he cared that much for his childhood friend, Mario.

Tails knew Luigi even since they were little, and just by hearing all of his inner thoughts and feelings made him like Luigi as a close friend even more. He and Luigi shared so many similarities with each other, sharing their own fears and both being treated as simple sidekicks by the main heroes, who are both the centers of attention. But now that he finally heard that Luigi wanted to be treated as a hero more than a sidekick, he wished that he could be more like him.

"…Luigi, I wish I was just like you…" Tails sobbed.

Both babies were crying, of course, but not letting out waterfall-like tears like in their previous adventure. Instead, they're only letting small tears come out of their eyes, letting them get wet, and Baby Mario even tries to wipe them out with his long sleeve as he sniffles, but more still kept coming. As we all could expect, Baby Luigi was crying even more than Baby Mario, since those are the thoughts of his older self that will also apply to him as well in the future. Baby Mario was crying in sadness and happiness at the same time; sadness because of what the thoughts said, and happiness because now that he knows Luigi's true feelings and thoughts, he could take care of his little brother even greater than before in the further future when they grow up like their older selves.

Dreamy Jewel knew a lot about Luigi in terms of his personality traits, but never in terms of feelings and thoughts, which is why she was also crying because she finally got to know about that. By those messages, she realized that one brother cannot live without the other: Mario needs Luigi and Luigi needs Mario. For Luigi, he was always there to help Mario especially with healing and other abilities that Mario couldn't do. For Mario, he was always there to protect Luigi from danger by attacking the enemies first since he was the powerhouse and that Luigi needed him since he's the voice of reason: he always listen to his older brother in order to progress through their adventures.

Despite being the only ones in the gang who didn't know much about the Mario Brothers, Kirby and Ribbon Girl were touched by Luigi's feelings towards his brother. They have never seen a brotherly bond as deep as this one; Mario and Luigi definitely have the most touching bond they have ever seen.

After calming down a bit, the group moved on, passing by an area where a line of Luigi holograms appearing behind them without them noticing followed them. As soon as they were approaching some sort of light in front of them…

 _WAIT FOR ME! BIG BROOOO!_

The Luigi face showed up again, startling the group. The Luigi face moved to the left side of the group as it spoke:

 _It's probably dangerous ahead! You may not be able to come back… You can leave if you jump toward that light… I don't know what's up ahead…_

"Heeeelp!" they heard Peach's voice coming from a light orb past the light leading to the surface.

"Hey! That's Peach's voice! She's up ahead!" Mario exclaimed.

 _Big bro… It's your choice…_

"My…choice?"

The Luigi face left, but not before leaving these final words:

 _Luigi…will follow you… We're all here for you, bro. Always._

"GOD! Stop with the feels!" Dreamy Jewel spoke, trying her best to not cry anymore.

The group went into the light orb, taking them to a slow fall as more thoughts and feelings of Luigi kept showing up. Because of that, they had a bit of trouble collecting the coins while focusing on not crying. Once they landed on solid ground, they saw a running Luigi hologram saying:

 _Big bro… Everyone… Let's go!_

To everyone's surprise, this Luigi hologram transformed into Dreamy Luigi!

"I'm ready to roll!" he fist pumped, with Luigi at the real world doing the same thing while smiling.

"Are you… Dreamy Luigi?" Baby Mario wondered.

"Yes." Dreamy Luigi nodded.

"Oh, thank god!" Baby Luigi beamed as he runs to Dreamy Luigi and hugs his leg.

"No, no… This place is getting to my head." Dreambert held his head and shook it. "Everyone! We need to keep going! Peach must be up ahead."

"We'll do!" Mario nodded with a determined expression.

They all went into another light orb just in front of them.

* * *

On the other side, they finally found the purple cloud, which was Antasma, still holding Peach, and glared at it.

"Mariooo!" Peach cried out.

As Antasma was changing his purple cloud form, Luigi suddenly put up an angry expression at the real world, letting out a grunt with steam coming out of his head. Antasma then changed into his bat form.

"No! NO! I-it is true…" Dreambert didn't believe that. "ANTASMA!"

"Incoming!" all of a sudden, Bowser's voice came.

"That voice…!" Mario's eyes widened. "NO… It CAN'T be!"

Bowser came out of another light orb from behind Antasma and landed hard on the ground. Apparently, the impact was so strong that it even caused Luigi's cap to drop down on his face at the real world for some reason. Luigi simply lifts his cap back up without any bother.

"So what's the deal here? You Peach's kidnapper?!" Bowser scolded. "Gwahahaha! You're just a little baby bat! I could wear you as a brooch or something!"

With Antasma distracted, Mario took the opportunity to tackle him and make him let go of Peach.

"BAM!" Bowser punches the bat away. "Seriously? That was IT?! What a total wimp!"

"Mario! We need to get out of here!" Peach said. "Let's return to the real world!"

But Bowser stomped in front of the heroes, causing the same thing with Luigi and his cap to happen.

"GWAHAHAHA! Good plan, toots." Bowser smirked. "Time to fight, Mario! It's MY turn to kidnap her! It's Kidnapping Peach II… The Bowsering! TIME TO LOSE!"

"In your dreams, Bowser!" Mario growled. "I still can't believe you managed to find us so quickly."

Just then, before anyone could do anything, Antasma came back and smacked Bowser right in the face. Then, it released some sonar waves, causing the heroes to cover their ears.

"AAAAAAHHH!" but the sonar waves were too strong that it knocked them on the ground. At the same time, Luigi at the real world was moaning in panic, sweating hard.

"Wh-what's that?! WHAT IS ON ME?!" Bowser yelled, trying to get the bat off his face.

"No! You mustn't! Antasma!" Dreambert called out. But Antasma released more sonar waves to knock Dreambert away. "ARRRRRGH!"

"Geddoff bee! Right dow!" Bowser muffled, with the bat's wings covering his mouth.

"Vee go now! SCREEECH! Back to the real vorld!" Antasma spoke with a mixture of a German and a Transylvanian vampire accent.

"St-stop it! Get…OFF!" Bowser finally pulls the bat off and hurls him. Antasma flew next to Bowser and spoke:

"SCREEEK! I vanted to steal Peach's power… But I changed my mind! You are much stronger…and evil! SCREEEONK! Vork vith me! SCREEEP!"

"Blech! Say it, don't spray it, dingbat. I don't 'vork' with anyone! Get real!"

"End this…at once!" Dreambert groaned once he came back.

"SCREAAARK! Silence!" Antasma yelled while releasing more of his sonar waves to send Dreambert away again. He turns to Bowser. "I can make your vishes come true. SKEEELK! Make you…SCREE…stronger than your vildest dreams!"

"Huh?! What are you sayin', batface?!" Bowser asked.

Finally, Mario and his gang got up and glared at the evil duo.

"Vell, I vill give you new moves. SCREE-EEK! Use then to crush your enemies!" Antasma said.

"Hmmmm… My old moves ARE feeling a little stale…" Bowser pondered.

"All I ask in return is your cooperation. SCREEEK!"

"If I say yes, will you quit screeching like that? You sound like a beached Blooper." Bowser then turns to the heroes, already standing in their fighting stances. "GWAHAHA! I've got bad news, Super Loser Bros and pals! Big, bad Bowser's about to get even big-badder!"

"Antasma, no!" Dreambert protested.

"SCRAAAEERRK! Vee vill be unstoppable!" Antasma screeched.

"LET'S DO THIS!" Bowser commanded as Antasma zoomed into him just like how Dreamy Luigi zooms in his friends.

"There's no way I'll let another one absorbing a dream entity win!" Dreamy Luigi hissed as he splits into seven and zooms into his seven friends.

"You tell them, Dreamy Luigi!" Dreamy Jewel grinned as she steps in to join the fight.

Bowser shoots out purple flames at the heroes, but they dodged them. Bowser then shoots out his regular flames, only for Kirby to inhale them and become Fire Kirby. When he noticed that a bunch of bats surrounded Bowser, Fire Kirby took the chance to take all of them with his empowered fireball like when he used to defeat his dreamy clone.

Bowser suddenly grows larger when he curled into a spiked ball and starts rolling after the heroes, spewing many regular and purple flames. Luckily, Dreamy Jewel used her Water Sapphire to wash all of the flames in their path. She also creates a large water puddle on Bowser's path, causing him to slip up and land on his shell on the ground.

This gave a chance for Ribbon Girl to punch him and electrocute him with her Sparky on both hands. With Bowser stunned, the babies unleashed their Luigi hammer shockwave attack simultaneously. Sonic then does a Homing Attack at Bowser, and the result of his empowered Homing Attack was a line of Luiginoids from behind Sonic doing a kick to give him an extra dose of power and boost, as if the Luiginoids were stomping on an enemy.

Tails joined in by whacking Bowser with his two tails, resulting in a row of Luiginoids doing a horizontal kick at the same time with the tails, sending Bowser a few feet away.

Bowser growls in fury and tries to do a Sliding Punch at Mario, but he countered with his hammer.

"Isn't there anything we can use to finish him much faster?" Sonic questioned.

"There is!" Dreamy Jewel responded. "With a Luiginary Attack!"

"Luiginary Attack?" Mario raised an eyebrow.

"It's simple to perform. Mario, all you have to do is concentrate and say 'Luiginary Ball!'"

"Well, all right." Mario replied. He then shuts his eyes, clenches his fists and concentrates hard enough before shouting: "Luiginary Ball!" he raises his hands into the air.

Just then, Dreamy Luigi came out of Mario as he tosses him into the air, and he exploded in a green flash, turning into a small ball of Luiginoids. Mario hops on the ball and rolls it, steering it towards more Luiginoids he could find on his path to make the ball grow bigger. Once it was big enough and Mario reached the end of the Luiginoid path, he jumps off the ball and kicks it with mighty force, sending it rolling towards Bowser, knocking him out with a single blow.

"WHOA! That was incredible!" Mario exclaimed, with the rest of the group except for the Dreamy pair looking completely dumbfounded by what they just saw.

"Where did… How did… WHAT…?!" Sonic yelled.

"I told you; anything is possible in dreams." Dreamy Jewel smiled.

Antasma then came out of Bowser while he was standing up and scolds:

"Nuisances! Vaste them!"

He flies above Bowser's head and releases his sonar waves on him.

"Ooh…OH?!" he gagged. But Antasma was actually giving stupendous power to Bowser and he was glowing in a purple aura again. He opens his mouth and… "GWAAAAA!" he releases a MONSTROUS purple flamethrower at everyone, KO'ing them instantly. "Ooooooh!" the purple aura disappears.

"Vell? How does it feel to be all powerful? SKRRICK!" Antasma questioned.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Bowser laughed in glory. "OH YEAH! I could get used to this! You got yourself a deal!"

"SCREEARCH! We fly! To the real vorld! My dark plan unfolds… MWAHAHEEEESK!"

"Hold it, guy! I came here to kidnap Peach, remember?"

"Vee can take the girl anytime… But vee must stick to the plan for now…"

"Ugh… Fine!" Bowser then approaches the gang. "Chumps! I'll be back for Peach! Don't let anyone else kidnap her until I get back!"

"Grab on. SCREEESHIK!"

Bowser then grabs onto Antasma and takes off out of the dream world with his flames like a rocket.

Everything was silent, until…

"HEEYAAAA!" Eldream came down along with Fluffykins and Amy and landed next to the downed group. "Hmm… An interesting situation indeed. Ah! That must be Princess Peach. These guys managed to save you, did they?" no response. "Clearly at some cost, for they all sleep now. It's dangerous to fall asleep in a dream."

"So, what do we do?" Amy asked.

He looked back at fluffykins for a second, and it started to do some hops to the right.

"What is it, Fluffykins?" Eldream wondered. Fluffykins then pointed to a nightmare chunk at the corner past the light orb. "Oh! Could this be…?"

"That's a nightmare chunk, right?" Amy guessed as she walks towards it. "Let's see if I can break it." She pulls out her Piko Piko Hammer and whacks it at the chunk multiple times until it shattered, revealing a Dreamy Green Chaos Emerald. "The Chaos Emerald!"

"Great! Now just pick it up, and everyone will be brought back to the real world." Eldream told her.

Amy nodded and grabbed the Emerald. It then engulfs everything in white as the petrified Chaos Emerald at the real world started to wiggle and emit colorful sparkles.

* * *

 _ **Back at the real world…**_

"ACK!" Starlow startled when Bowser and Antasma suddenly popped out of the Dream Portal. "B-Bowser? And that bat…"

Antasma then guides Bowser out of the park, but accidentally flew into a wall.

"OW!" Bowser winced. But Antasma was careless again, slamming into a hill on the right this time. "HRRP! Hey, ugly! Learn to fly!"

"Yes… Yes! YESSS!" Antasma grinned, glad to be free from the dream world at last. "Scree…hee hee! FREEE! SCREEK! I RETURN!"

"GWAHAHA! Ooh, look who made a powerful buddy! That's right, me! Now I'm unstoppable! GWAHAHA!"

Bowser and Antasma takes off.

"I mean, that was… Bowser, right?" Starlow questioned to herself.

Then, Mario came out of the portal while carrying Peach on his arms, followed up by the rest of the group. Starlow was about to fly to them, until the Chaos Emerald flew into the air and glowed, sending out Amy while it regained its original green color.

"Princess Peach!" Starlow beamed. "…and Amy Rose?" she eyed at Amy on the ground.

"Uuugh…" Amy groaned as she woke up. "Am I out?" she looked around and saw she was back at the real world's park. "Oh, thank goodness!"

"Amy? What happened? Did you find the nightmare chunk entrapping the Emerald?" Sonic asked.

"I did! So we'll say that I just freed myself!" Amy winked.

Then, Luigi and Jewel snaps awake as the pillow turned into Eldream.

"It seems our travel went well, young lady. Correct?" Eldream spoke to Amy, who nodded in response. He then looked at everyone. "Looks like all are safe and sound!"

"I'm sorry for making everyone worry. I'm fine, thank you!" Peach smiled. "Everyone… Thank you!"

"No problem, princess!" Ribbon Girl replied.

"We'd better tell Toadsworth, too!" Starlow said.

"My friends!" Dreambert interfered. "We haven't the time for niceties! Evil is upon us! Antasma… Antasma has returned!"

"Im-impossible! My prince… Are you absolutely sure?" Eldream asked.

"Antasma?!" Starlow questioned.

"The very same. He who we imprisoned in the dream world. The evil king of bats… He has returned to plague us once more!" Dreambert explained. "As I said before… The evil bat-king, Antasma, wanted to fulfill his wishes… He stole the Dark Stone, but my people imprisoned him… Just before he was banished, Antasma killed Jewel's parents, casted a curse on the island and crushed the Dark Stone… The falling chunks of nightmare turned us all into stone… But we succeeded in imprisoning Antasma in the dream world! Even so… We knew he would live on within the dream world… We knew he would wait for his bonds to weaken… And when they did, he would have his chance to return!"

"That's horrible…" Jewel lamented.

"Not only that, but he's teamed up with Bowser!" Starlow added.

"He will again try to conquer our world and sow the nightmare!" Dreambert exclaimed.

"Hmmm…" Eldream pondered, until something came into his mind: "If that's the case, Antasma will surely go after the Dream Stone!"

"The Dream Stone… It can grant any wish…and it's on this island, right?" Tails remarked.

"Then we must go after that Dream Stone before Bowser and Antasma does!" Mario told.

"We must leave this area and make for the nearby desert… The stone is in Dozing Sands!" Dreambert said.

"Dozing Sands… It's located just southeast of Mushrise Park, so we should make it before them." Jewel stated.

"Hello? Bowser is able to fly now thanks to Antasma!" Starlow sassed. "Even though Antasma was sort of flying erratically, nevertheless."

"Everyone." Peach told the heroes. "Please, I beg of you… Stop Antasma and Bowser! If two such evil beings were to get the Dream Stone… The world would be in utter peril! Whatever it takes, you have to prevent that from happening. Please! It's up to you to stop Antasma and Bowser!"

"We'll do, Peach." Mario nodded.

"Yeah!" the rest of the heroes joined in.

* * *

 _ **Soon…**_

Brickle opens the gates at the south that leads to the entrance of Dozing Sands.

"I'll make sure dis gate stays open from now on, OK?" he spoke. "I'm headin' back hut-ward. Swing by sometime, yeah?" he leaves back to his hut.

"OK. Peach, I'll lead you back to the castle. I think it's safer for you." Amy said.

"I think I'll be heading back to the castle too." Tails interfered. "I'm feeling quite tired…" he turns to the gang. "Guys, it was really fun going along with you! But now, I need some rest. We'll leave the rest to you. Good luck!"

Tails and Amy then escorted Peach back to Pi'illo Castle.

"We should be going too!" Starlow spoke up. "The bad guys might have already found it. Hurry!"

Everyone nodded and were ready to leave the park, until…

"Guys! I finally found you!" Yoshi's voice came.

"Yoshi! Where have you been?" Jewel asked.

"Sorry I took so long… I've heard from some Toads at the castle that you set off to Mushrise Park, so I went here and looked for you everywhere."

"Yeah… We were just inside the dream world for almost an hour all the time at Brickle's hut."

"That explains it. Say, I just saw Bowser and a bat flying all the way over to Dozing Sands."

"Really? Oh no! So we must hurry!"

"Why the hurry?"

"That bat is named Antasma and he and Bowser are heading there to look for the Dream Stone, capable of granting wishes." Mario explained.

"Oh, I see. Can I go with you?"

"Sure!"

"Yay!"

With that, the group along with Yoshi went down south and to southeast to reach Dozing Sands.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **The Dream's Deep is probably the most emotional part of any Mario game for me. That made me love Luigi even more as a character. Because that was my favorite part of the game, I did my best to write each character's perspectives towards Luigi.  
**

 **It's off to Dozing Sands! Until then! Please review.**


	9. Dozing Sands Secret

**Finally done with this chapter!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Dozing Sands Secret**

The group soon arrived at Dozing Sands, a desert located at the bottom right corner of the island. Its ground was all sand, and small hills, cactus, stones and crystals were decorating this landscape. This area is currently under construction, as we can see a construction site with Shelltops breaking rocks and other dangerous things in order to turn the area into a tourist attraction. The area's name is a pun on dozing off to sleep.

"Phew! It's a little too hot here!" Luigi spoke, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"You're sweating already, Luigi?" Sonic asked. "Come on, it's not THAT bad as Gritzy Desert."

"You know… Even if Gritzy Desert was hotter, this desert is still quite hot too." Baby Luigi said, panting a bit.

The group walked forward through the desert, taking out some Flounderflages, flounder-like enemies who swim in the sand, and Sandoons, sand dune enemies. Soon, they reached an area where they heard a scream:

"Waaaaaahhhh!"

They saw a Shelltop worker sliding down a sand slope.

"No! Oh man. Man, oh man! I fell down the sand flow!" he cried.

"Bwahahaha! Hahaha! You're in for it now!" a Shelltop from above the sand slope mocked. "Britta's gonna have your shell for this!"

"Noooooo! I've gotta get back up there!"

"You can't. There's no way to climb up that sand flow. Unless you had a scaffold…which you don't! Hahaha!"

"Oh man. When Britta finds out… Gulp."

The heroes knew they had to reach up that slope so they could go further into the desert. They then came upon more Shelltops trying to fend off two Sandoons at the other side. The heroes defeated them and the Shelltops thanked them by teaching Mario and Luigi two familiar abilities, claiming that they saw them in a movie (you probably know what that means, right?): the Mini Mario move, which was already familiar, and the Mario Dunk, which is a Mario version of the Luigi Dunk.

By using both moves, Mario was able to knock down a petrified Pi'illo from a cactus, making it land on the sandy ground. This allowed the heroes to enter Dozing Sands' dream world.

* * *

Dreamy Dozing Sands' ground was also sand, and we could see many dunes, pillars, what appears to be large floating bricks, and cactus at the background. There were walls made out of the same stone as from the real world, and a gentle wind was constantly blowing. Faint sandy waterfalls pouring sand upwards instead of downwards were all around the place in midair and small wooden fences along with the same crystals seen at the real world, are present in the foreground. Upon arriving and meeting up with Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel, they noticed that this place was less hot than in the real world.

"Hey! This place isn't as hot as in the real world!" Baby Mario beamed.

"Another reality law breaking here!" Dreamy Jewel exclaimed cheerfully.

"I'm glad I am able to do that." Dreamy Luigi smiled. "I was sure dying out there!"

"Well, let's go find the nightmare chunk." Mario said.

They all moved on, dealing with Lob-ombs, Dreamy Sandoons and Skipdrills in the way. Just then, they came upon an area where dozens of Dreamy Sandoons and Skipdrills were standing up ahead, which shocked them as the enemies began to charge after them.

"JESUS!" Sonic yelled before he and the rest immediately retreated to some platforms above…except for Dreamy Luigi, who was still panicking below and Luigi at the real world was moaning in panic again just like last time.

"G-Guys! Help me up!" Dreamy Luigi called out as he was jumping in desperation while raising his hands up.

"I got you, Luigi! Hrrrgh!" Mario grabbed hold of Dreamy Luigi's hands and pulled him up just in time before the army of enemies could reach him.

"And breathe…" Yoshi sighed in relief.

"That was a close one…" Ribbon Girl sighed.

"Glad they can't jump that high…" Kirby breathed.

"Yeah, but we have to find a way to get past them." Dreamy Luigi stated.

"He's right; the nightmare chunk could be up ahead!" Dreamy Jewel supposed.

"Let's see if there's something up there, since there's nowhere for us to go." Mario said.

They all nodded and jumped up the platforms to get to the top, taking them to a near-perfect starry sky. They continued on, until Dreamy Luigi's body started to glow green.

"Hold up, I think I'm reacting to something again, guys!" he spoke up.

"Perhaps is that constellation?" Yoshi pointed up.

Everyone looked up and saw a large constellation of Luigi's head turned sideways to the right.

"That constellation… A Luiginary Work?" Dreambert puzzled.

"Maybe. Try absorbing it and see what happens." Dreamy Jewel told.

"Okay." Dreamy Luigi zooms into the constellation.

"Ooh, I can't wait for this new Luiginary Work!" Baby Mario exclaimed in excitement as they all waited for the result.

They waited and waited, until the constellation's green glow became intense.

"Here it comes!" Dreambert informed.

However…Dreamy Luigi came out of the constellation normally as if nothing happened at all, causing the whole group to face-fault.

"…Really? You just went in and came back?" Sonic sassed. "What a waste of time…"

All of a sudden, two more Luigis came out and landed next to the main one!

"Wait, wha-?!" Sonic's eyes widened.

Just then, more and more Luigis came out of the constellation as everyone watched astonished. At the real world, Luigi was laughing happily.

"WOW!" Baby Mario beamed.

If we look closely at the constellation, we can see that each star in it becomes a Luigi, who then jumps out of it. In an instant, an army of Luigis was now standing next to the heroes, who had their jaws dropped.

"Whoa…" Sonic breathed.

"Yoshi speechless…" Yoshi was out of words.

"Dreamy! Can this be? All of the stars! They all turned into Luiginoids!" Dreamy Jewel squealed. "Now THAT is what I call Luiginary!"

Then, the 'main' Luigi stepped out of the Luigi crowd and told all of them:

"Listen up! Let's combine our strength to form a stack and help our big bro and our friends!"

All of the Luigis nodded before they all took a step back. One by one, a Luigi would step in front, each giving a chant:

"Yah!"

"Hah!"

"Hah!"

"Yah!"

"Okey!"

"Hah!"

"Okey-Dokey!"

As more and more chanting were given, more and more Luigis would arrange themselves into position. Eventually, all of the Luigis formed into a stack in perfect balance, with Luigi at the real world doing a fist pump while smiling.

"This is…awesome!" Baby Luigi exclaimed as he and the rest of the group climbed on the Luigi stack until they reached the top.

"I've heard this type of work before! I remember seeing it in books I've read!" Dreamy Jewel said. "They said that this Luiginary Work creates multiple copies of the dreamer! I thought it was just a legend, but it's actually true!"

"Now nothing can stop us!" one of the Luigis in the stack grinned. "In this form, we can take out that army of enemies we saw back there! Let's continue!"

With perfect sync, the Luiginoid Stack went forward and dropped down to where the enemies were. They were shocked when they saw the Luiginoid Stack and tried to flee, but they were knocked out by the stack.

They all continued on until they finally found the nightmare chunk. They shattered it, freeing a new type of Pi'illo: the Deco Pi'illo.

* * *

After the group returned to the real world, Luigi and Jewel woke up and watched the pillow transforming into the first Deco Pi'illo.

"You two set me free? Many thanks, friends!" he thanked.

"I know you just awoke, but I must ask you something." Dreambert stepped in.

"Prince Dreambert!"

"That's me. And Princess Jewel is with me as well." Dreambert directs to Jewel. He turns back to the Deco Pi'illo. "We need to find the Dream Stone before it falls into the wrong hands. It must be somewhere in this desert. Do you have any idea where it is?"

"The Dream Stone? It lies well beyond that sand flow over there." The Deco Pi'illo points to the sand slope. "Here, you'll be needing this." He lets out a golden stone called a Dozite that flew in the air and inserted itself in a hole of a Zeekeeper statue. Eventually, two platforms rose up from the sand slope.

"Uh, impressive…" Dreambert spoke.

"Heh. You'll need more than one Dozite to find the Dream Stone. You'll need to find the other gatekeepers, as well." The Deco Pi'illo told. "They've likely been trapped in the dream world as I was. If you can rescue them, I'm sure they would support your cause."

"Thank you, friend." Jewel thanked. "All right, everyone. Onward!"

They all nodded and jumped on the platforms to reach another part of the desert.

That other part was the construction site, where they saw a stubborn female Brock with a brown combed hair, pink work hat with a headlamp in the middle, and pink boots pressuring on a Shelltop worker to work harder to break the rocks scattered in the desert.

"THAT ALL YOU GOT?! WORK THAT THING! THIS AIN'T BALLET, BUB! SWING LIKE YOU MEAN IT!" she yelled.

"Y-yes, ma'am!" the Shelltop worker caterwauled, swinging his hammer as hard as he could. "I'm working as hard as I can, boss Britta!"

"AND YOU OVER THERE, TOO!" Britta called out to another Shelltop worker. "AT THIS RATE, THE SUN'LL SET BEFORE YOU FINISH!"

"O-on it, boss Britta!" the Shelltop replied.

"Those poor workers…" Ribbon Girl spoke quietly.

"Never knew work is being done on the desert." Yoshi pondered.

"I think they must be trying to expand the resort for tourism attraction." Luigi stated.

"That's correct, Luigi." Jewel nodded. "These Shelltop workers and their boss, Britta, are working hard every day to get rid of certain rocks that might be dangerous to tourists, but they're…having some trouble it seems."

"Then let's see if we can help out." Mario said.

They all made their way to Britta. She turned around and took a good look at the group.

"Hey… HEY! You! Guy in the red with mustache! Little tykes! Blue porcupine! Green dino! Pink blob! Masked girl! You look able bodied." She said.

"Uh, what?" Mario tilted his head.

"You're all hired! You work for me. NOW GET TO WORK. We gotta lotta construction to do in this here desert."

" _Oh, great… We'll have another block person to deal with?!_ " Sonic thought. " _Also, WHERE did she get porcupine from?! I'm a hedgehog, for god's sake!_ "

"Hold up! What about me?" Luigi interfered.

"Hey… You… I ain't so sure about you…" Britta inspected. "Looks a little soft…"

"What do you mean?! I'm not soft!" Luigi shook his head. "Also, we're not here to work!"

"Eh? You guys ain't looking for work?" Britta asked. Everyone shook their heads. "THEN GET OFFA MY JOB SITE!"

"Whoa! No need to yell, lady!" Sonic flinched.

"Please, let's take things smoothly." Jewel interfered.

"You… Your highness? Whata you doing here?" Britta asked, but not before bowing down to Jewel.

"All of these people are my friends. We're here because we're looking for a Dream Stone that's located somewhere in this desert."

"Eh? You're lookin' for a Dream Stone in this desert?"

"Yes. This Dream Stone can grant any wishes and we must find it before it falls on the wrong hands." Luigi added.

"Pffft… WAHAHA!" Britta laughed. "What are you, green guy? Some kinda comedian? I know this site back to front, and I ain't never seen that. Trust me, that's gotta be some kinda mistake."

"Maybe it's because of that sandy slope that nobody can get through?" Yoshi pointed to the sandy slope behind Britta.

" ***sigh*** " Britta sighed. "Look, bubs. My job is to whip this desert into somethin' tourist friendly. I been bustin' my and everyone else's humps here for a LONG time. I ain't never seen no Dream Stone… But, hey… Dino boy, you do have a point." She turns to the sandy slope. "I never been past that sand flow up there… So who knows—maybe that's where your Dream Stone's at. Good luck gettin' up there, though. No one's been able to get past the sand flow. It's almost like someone doesn't want no one goin' up there. A little suspicious, you ask me."

"So how we can get up there?" Kirby asked.

"WAHAHA!" Britta laughed again. "How should I know, pink blob? I just got done tellin' you I never been up there! But, come to think of it… You see those four statues?" she directs to four Zeekeeper statues at both sides of the slope. "They all got holes in 'em, right? That seem a little odd to you? I mean, what are those for, anyway?"

" _Another sandy slope… Statues with holes… More Deco Pi'illos holding Dozites… That's it!_ " Mario thought, putting all of the pieces together. "Britta, would you mind if we look around the desert for a while?" he requested.

"Go ahead, bub. It's a free country. Just make sure you stay out of our way." Britta responded.

"All right, thanks Britta."

"You're welcome. Now, scram! I gotta go fire some slackers." She then commands some workers: "BACK TO WORK, SLACK-A-BUMS!"

"Don't hit me!" a Shelltop worker cried out.

The heroes then left the construction site and explored the rest of the desert.

They reached another part of the construction zone, where they found a drilling machine called the Drilldigger. Before they could even use it…

"Hold it, bubs!" Britta's voice came in. She caught up with the heroes and said: "I changed my mind about lettin' you hang around my job site. If you're gonna be on the site, I'm gonna put you to work."

"Wait, what?!" Luigi flinched. But before any more questions could be answered, Britta grabs the adult Mario Bros and hopped with them at the Drilldigger, which took off, leaving the rest of the group behind.

"I think we're gonna be here for a while…" Jewel sighed.

"Oh, great…" Sonic muttered.

* * *

 _ **Some minutes later…**_

The group who was left behind were still waiting for the brothers and Britta to come back. Kirby and the babies were playing together with Yoshi and Ribbon Girl, while Jewel was watching Sonic tapping his right foot impatiently with his arms crossed.

"Man, when will they return?" the blue blur spoke impatiently.

"Just wait a bit more, Sonic. I'm sure they'll return soon." Jewel assured.

Eventually, Mario, Luigi and Britta finally came back on the Drilldigger.

"OK, class is over. GET TO WORK!" Britta demanded. "Your job is to break the rocks lyin' around the desert. The more rocks you break, the more dough you make. Simple enough for ya? Let's finish up this lesson by breakin' this one here." She directs to a rock with an odd aura under it.

"That rock and that aura… Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Mario?" Luigi whispered to him.

"I am. Another Deco Pi'illo must be trapped under it." Mario whispered back.

"What's the delay? Break it now!" Britta demanded impatiently.

"Alright, I'm doing it!" Luigi replied and hammered his button to make the drill break the rock, revealing…a pillow.

"Hang on… Is that… Is that a pillow?" Britta questioned.

"Everyone! Look at that!" Jewel called out to the rest of the group upon hearing the word 'pillow'. "Let's use that petrified Pi'illo to go to the dream world!"

"Yeah!" all of the heroes cheered.

Luigi quickly falls asleep on the Pi'illo followed up by Jewel on her Magical Pillow, and once the portal showed up, Mario and his gang jumped in, leaving Britta fazed.

"Hey! Whaddaya think you're doin', slackers?!" she questioned.

"Can it, granny!" Starlow mocked. This got Britta mad:

"Granny?! Why I oughta…"

"You oughta go get yourself a makeover."

"WRRRAUGHHH!"

* * *

Inside Dreamy Dozing Sands, everyone was snickering about Britta's reaction when they jumped into the portal.

"Pfffft! Did you all see the look on her face!?" Sonic spluttered.

"Yeah, it was hilarious!" Dreamy Jewel joined in.

"Britta might be pissed at us for abandoning the job in the blink of an eye, but hey, we got an important thing to do." Mario shrugged. "Let's find the nightmare chunk in here."

The group went down, and they came upon a large drill, with Dreamy Luigi reacting to it.

"Isn't that the same drill from the Drilldigger?" Mario guessed.

"It is! And I'm reacting to it!" Dreamy Luigi replied.

"Hmm, what kind of Luiginary Work do we have this time?" Dreambert wondered.

Dreamy Luigi then zooms into the drill, and his face appears on the cog.

"This one seems to be nasally activated." Dreamy Jewel said.

"Damn your fourth-wall breaking…" Dreambert muttered.

"Let me make contact with Starlow." Dreamy Jewel pulls out her Calling Moonstone and talks through it: "Hey! Starlow!"

* * *

 _ **At the real world…**_

"Eh? You again, Jewel?" Starlow heard Dreamy Jewel's voice in her head.

" _Do you see something on Luigi's nose?"_ Dreamy Jewel asked.

"Well yeah, it's sparkling in green again."

" _Hmm… Try turning his nose!"_

"What? Turn his nose? That must be one weird dream…"

Starlow then holds Luigi's nose and spins it clockwise.

* * *

 _ **At the dream world…**_

Eventually, at the same time when Starlow spun Luigi's nose clockwise, the cog and the drill spun in the same direction.

"It spins!" Dreamy Jewel exclaimed. "Everyone! Grab hold of the drill and let go of it once we're on the other side!"

The whole group grabbed onto the spinning drill and let go of it, reaching the other side.

"Oof… That made my head spin…" Yoshi remarked, feeling a bit queasy.

"Now to name this Work… I think using the word 'drill' sounds too cliché, so I'll name it: Luiginary Cylinder!" Dreamy Jewel said. "Alright, we can use this Work to move on!"

After moving on with the Luiginary Cylinder, they finally reached the nightmare chunk, breaking it and freeing another Deco Pi'illo.

The heroes were back at the real world, and they watched the pillow turning into the Deco Pi'illo they just freed. The Deco Pi'illo summons another Dozite, which flew itself into the hole of one of the Zeekeeper statues. Now they had to find three more Deco Pi'illos to get above the sandy slope.

* * *

 _ **Some hours later…**_

Everyone rescued all of the Deco Pi'illos and went back to the sandy slope. There, they watched four platforms rise up like stairs, allowing further exploration.

"Yippee! We did it!" Yoshi cheered.

"Wh- WHAAT?!" they heard Britta's voice. She rushes to where they were and was shocked to see platforms taking to the top of the sand flow. "Howza? Whuzza?! Did you guys do this?!" she asked.

"We did." Jewel nodded.

"SOLID WORK!" Britta exclaimed. "And I thought your friends were a couple of slackers!" she looks at the platforms, then back at the group. "I better…uh…go check out the area ahead…" she hops on the first platform.

"Wait! Why you?" Luigi asked. "You don't even know what's up there!"

"It could…uh…be treacherous. (And…uh…treasurous!) Better make sure it's secure… (And secure myself that treasure!) And that's why I'm going first! I'M THE FOREWOMAN! I'll call you if I need you, OK? Stay here. I'M THE FOREWOMAN!"

" _Does she have to repeat that phrase twice?_ " Sonic thought annoyed.

"Well, I'm gonna go now…" Britta climbs up the stairs of platforms as she sings: "~Gonna buy me an island…~ ~Gonna buy me an island…~ ~Fill it full of gold…~"

"Ugh… She appraises us for that, but she has to be the one to go check the area just because she is the 'forewoman'!" Sonic facepalmed.

"I also have no idea what's up ahead, but it could be dangerous for Britta." Jewel stated.

"Jewel is right. We should follow her before anything happens." Mario said.

They all climbed up the stairs to reach another portion of the desert. There, they heard Britta's shriek:

"EEEEEEEK!"

Just then, they saw her sliding on her face in the sand while being dragged by…a drill?

"NOOOOOO! AIYEEEE! NOT THE FACE! AIYEEEE!" she screamed. Then, she was flung into the air and fell on her back. The heroes saw that Britta looked all bruised up and badly injured.

"I just had to say it…" Mario sweatdropped.

"Hold on, what's that?!" Luigi noticed that a red monster head with sharp teeth emerged by the drill.

To everyone's surprise, the monster ate Britta!

"Oh no! Britta!" Jewel cried out.

"Welp, I guess we'll have to save her now." Ribbon Girl said as she equips a Slapamander in both hands before the whole group charged towards the monster, named Torkscrew, and stood in their fighting stances as Torkscrew noticed them.

Torkscrew roared and dug itself into the sand and into the ground.

"Where did it go?" Yoshi questioned.

Just then, Luigi's eyeballs popped out in cartoony style as he felt something sharp suddenly poke his left foot RIGHT in the middle.

"YEEEEEOOOOOOOOOWCH!" he yelled in pain as he jumped up in the air, holding on to his foot. Jewel quickly rushed to him and used her Healing Garnet on him.

"That must've hurt a lot…" Jewel remarked after she finished curing Luigi.

"Yeah…" Luigi replied, rubbing his foot.

Back at the fight, Torkscrew dug into the ground again. It was now heading to Baby Luigi. He managed to jump over the drill…but he ended up getting stuck on its top.

"AIIIIIIIEEE!" Baby Luigi shrieked as the drill spun along with him.

"LUIGI!" Baby Mario cried out before he and the gang began to chase after the still-buried Torkscrew carrying Baby Luigi on its' drill top.

During the chase, Torkscrew left some coins and spiky traps. Kirby inhaled one of the spikes, but also ended up inhaling a nearby rock at the same time, allowing him to gain the Stone-Needle Power Combo and a giant drill materialized on his hand. He shoots the drill at Torkscrew, causing it to tumble down along with Baby Luigi.

"Ooh… I don't feel so good…" he gagged.

"You okay?" Baby Mario asked in concern.

Then, Torkscrew pops out of the ground next to the heroes.

"Oh, so you finally decided to take us head on? About time!" Sonic smirked.

Torkscrew did a roar, spins rapidly to propel itself in the air, and drills right down at Sonic, but he dodged the attack by stepping back and Home Attacks it, sending it flying back and landing on its back to the ground, struggling to get back up.

This gave a chance for Yoshi to do his Yoshi Bomb at Torkscrew's belly, followed up by Kirby's Stone transformation. The force of both attacks were so strong that it caused Torkscrew to spit out Britta.

"That's one problem solved. Now we have to deal with the bigger one!" Mario spoke.

He then saw Torkscrew digging under the ground again. This time, it went right behind Mario and starts chasing him. Mario ran all the way to the background and stomped Torkscrew's body once it was drilling closer to him.

Jewel and Ribbon Girl decided to work together to bring Torkscrew back to the foreground; Jewel casts fire with her Fire Opal while Ribbon Girl aims her charged Slapamanders at Torkscrew. Once both fire attacks hit Torkscrew, it stopped chasing Mario and rushed back to the foreground looking all bruised up.

"That's it! The fire weakened it!" Jewel realized. "That gave me an idea…" she went to the baby Mario Bros. "I found this somewhere in the desert while we were searching for the Deco Pi'illos!" she pulls out a Fire Flower and hands it to them.

"A Fire Flower!" Baby Mario exclaimed.

"Since Luigi's foot is still recovering, I think it's best for you to use it instead."

"Alright, let's do this!"

The babies absorb the Fire Flower, and their clothes transformed just like in their previous adventure. They charged up their fireballs before shooting them at Torkscrew, and upon firing enough charged fireballs, they finished this attack by sending a flurry of fireballs rapidly, defeating Torkscrew.

Once Torkscrew exploded and the Fire Flower's effect wore off on the babies, the whole group rushed to Britta, still looking badly injured.

"Is she okay…?" Baby Mario spoke quietly.

"BOSS LADY!" they heard a Shelltop's voice. Three workers went to Britta and were shocked by her state.

"Britta!" one of them cried out.

"Uggggh… Why… Blinded by greed…" Britta groaned. "There ain't even treasure here… I was a fool…"

"No! Britta! Don't yap! Save your energy!"

"You guys… Thank you… Take over…for me… Fire…everyon-…" but before she could finish, her eyes shut.

"BRITTA, NOOOO!"

The screen started fading in black… but it was interrupted once Britta opened her eyes again.

"I ain't dead! Get over here and pick me up!" she demanded.

"Roger that! Someone call a doctor!" one of the Shelltops said.

The three picked up Britta and carried her away.

"She probably lost a coin or two, but she'll be fine." Starlow assured.

"Hm? Hey, look! I can see some ruins up ahead!" Kirby turned around and pointed.

"Ruins? Oh! The Dream Stone is right over there!" Jewel exclaimed. "Let's go!"

The group rushed towards the ruins. But they were about to witness something shocking…

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **To be honest, on my very first playthrough of this game, I somehow got stuck in Dozing Sands at the part with finding the Deco Pi'illos; I was lost and didn't know what to do, so that area took me the longest time to complete it.  
**

 **I think you probably know what's about to happen in the next chapter, huh? ;D Please review.**


	10. Dreamy Sandstorm

**Here's the chapter that shows the very first "big" thing!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Dreamy Sandstorm**

Previously, the group of heroes just defeated Torkscrew and saved Britta. Now upon catching sight of some ruins up ahead where the Dream Stone is, they wasted no time in heading there.

Unfortunately, upon going up the stairs… They found no sight of the Dream Stone; just a lonely pedestal with another dark gem on it.

"Huh? What?! There's nothing here!" Starlow exclaimed.

"What's going on?" Kirby asked.

"And there's another Chaos Emerald corrupted into nightmare." Sonic picks up the petrified Emerald. "So another one of my friends is here…"

"GWAHAHAHA!" just then, they heard Bowser's laugh.

"What the… BOWSER!" Mario growled as Bowser and Antasma descended down.

"Hold on, don't tell me…" Jewel started.

"Yup! You're too late, chumps!" Bowser finished. He then pulls out the Dream Stone with his claw.

"No! That's…the Dream Stone!" Dreambert said in unbelief.

"SCREEE! Vee meet again, Dreambert… And you, Princess Jewel, daughter of the king of this island… How much you've changed…" Antasma eyed at Dreambert and Jewel. "Vell, I could not steal the Dark Stone… So this Dream Stone vill have to do! I vill not be defeated again! SCRAAAEEK!"

Bowser grabs onto Antasma again and both took off.

"Antasma! You coward!" Dreambert hissed, shaking his fist angrily. "GAH!"

"Gotta hand it to 'em—they know how to make an exit!" Starlow remarked.

"Hurry! We must pursue!"

"Cool it, princey! No one likes a hot pillow. We don't even know where they ran off to!"

"Hmm… Fair enough…"

"Yeah, we need to look for clues. That's how we find them." Mario said.

Eventually, the entire ruins began to shine in an aura like a bright morning sun.

"Is this place…shining?" Ribbon Girl looked around.

"Hmmm…" Dreambert pondered. "Could this be…a Dreampoint?"

"Dreampoint?" Sonic tilted his head.

"Yes, look—this is where the Dream Stone rested. This place is a Dreampoint! It's a place where dreamers can be one with their dreams. There are multiple Dreampoints scattered throughout the island."

"Wait… That fancy bed at the collection room of my castle and Brickle's bed also had similar auras like this one! So those beds were also Dreampoints?" Jewel wondered.

"Possibly. And remember that Antasma casted a spell that traps anyone in the Chaos Emeralds when they're next to a Dreampoint?"

"Oh… So my friends are all trapped in those Dreampoints… That explains why this Emerald was left here!" Sonic concluded.

"Correct. Sleeping on this Dreampoint may give us what we need… The whereabouts of the Dream Stone!"

"So I'll sleep here and we all search the dream world for clues?" Luigi guessed.

"Indeed. You heard the man, Luigi! Rest your head upon me, and enter the world of dreams! But please try not to drool…"

"Um…okay."

Dreambert turns into his pillow form and lands on the pedestal, which was now working as a frame, and Luigi rests his head on the pillow, creating a dream portal, with Sonic placing the Emerald at the left side right next to Luigi. Jewel then watches her Magical Pillow turning white.

"That Emerald used to be white before getting encased in nightmare!" she informed.

"White? Oh! Now I remember! I gave this Emerald to Silver!" Sonic told. "So he's the next one we'll find trapped in this dream world!"

Jewel then rests on her pillow before Mario and his crew jumped into the portal.

"Good luck, everyone!" Starlow said.

* * *

Upon arriving at the dream world, they were greeted once again by Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel, but also heard a voice afterwards:

"Sonic?"

Everyone saw a silver-white hedgehog approaching them. It was Silver!

"Wow! I can't believe you actually found me here!" he exclaimed. "I was starting to get worried."

"Heh, it's all thanks to Luigi that we managed to come here and find you!" Sonic gave thumbs up.

"Luigi? Oh, the Mario Brothers are here!"

"Close enough." Mario responded. "That Luigi over there is not physically here. Same goes to Jewel."

"You see, Silver, we're all inside my dreams." Dreamy Luigi added. "We came here not just to save you, but to search for clues about a wish-granting stone called the Dream Stone."

"Bowser happened to come to it first and stole it, and now we need to find out where he took off to." Sonic finished.

"I see. Well, since I'm trapped here, let me join you!" Silver said.

"Sure!"

They all moved forward to explore this part of Dreamy Dozing Sands. After getting rid of some Skipdrills and moving to the other side with the Luiginary Cylinder, they encountered a sleeping being above a platform.

"Is that…?" Yoshi started.

"Yes! This is the Dream Stone's spirit!" Dreambert exclaimed.

"Its spirit? The dream Stone has a mind of its own?" Ribbon Girl asked.

"Indeed. This is the spot in the dream world where the Dream Stone used to be!"

"Oh! I see! The Dream Stone was stolen physically, but not mentally!" Dreamy Jewel concluded. "Because this is the Dream World, its spirit is still here! Its spirit stayed in the same spot in the dream world!"

"Perhaps we can ask it where the Dream Stone is!" Kirby said.

Just then, the Dream Stone's spirit woke up by itself.

"Oh, great. Great! Who are these jokers?!" it grumbled. "You came from the real world, did you?"

"We did." Mario nodded. "You see…"

He explains everything to the Dream Stone's spirit. After he finished, the spirit speaks:

"Well whoopity-doo! You wanna know where the Dream Stone is?" everyone nodded. "OK. So I'd be happy to… NOT TELL YOU!" everyone face-faulted by this.

"And WHY?!" Sonic asked bitterly.

"Someone moved the Dream Stone in the real world. Which makes me really drowsy and cranky. And I gotta sleep all the time to stay moisturized. So EXCUUUUSE me if I don't have time to help you. So I'd be happy to… NOT TELL YOU!"

"But Pi'illo Island is in grave danger!" Dreamy Jewel cried out as she took a step forward. "If we never know the location of the Dream Stone, imagine what will happen!"

"Yeah, right." The spirit rolled its eyes. "And don't even think about following me! I won't talk!" it flew all the way down to another spot and fell asleep.

"Well, that went poorly." Dreambert spoke.

"Did it seriously not believe Jewel at all?! What a jerk!" Sonic grumbled.

" _And throughout this whole adventure, Sonic keeps calling any harsh person a jerk…_ " Ribbon Girl thought while sweatdropping.

"We have no other leads. We need to get it to talk!" Dreambert said.

They moved on. After moving around with the Luiginary Cylinder, they came upon with the Luiginoid Formation once again, activating blue and red switches, which made their corresponding colored platforms to rise up, to progress.

Soon, they finally reached the spirit.

"Hey! Wake up!" Mario called out, and the spirit woke up again, looking annoyed:

"Great… Uncle Mustache, El Beardo and a bunch of other people I don't care for are back. Don't you have anything better to do?!"

"Uncle Mustache?" Mario raised an eyebrow.

"I never grew a beard…" Dreamy Luigi muttered.

"So…no names for us? How lame…" Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Then again, I'd probably call you Blue Rat or something." The spirit said.

"ANOTHER ONE?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Sonic yelled so loud that it caused the rest of the group to cover their ears.

"Whoa! Why would Sonic yell so loud?" Ribbon Girl asked.

"He always explodes when anyone calls him a rat…" Mario sweatdropped.

"You're lucky I can't turn Dark in here! Or else you'd be dead!" Sonic growled.

"Whatever. Anyway, I'm tired. And my skin is all dry and flaky from stress!" the spirit replied.

"You don't look like you have skin to me…" Silver commented.

"Look, just tell us where the Dream Stone is and we'll leave, okay?" Mario offered.

"Ah, I get what you're saying… That's REALLY complicated…" the spirit pondered. "Fine… So I'd be happy to… NOT TELL YOU!" everyone face-faulted again.

"OH COME ON!" Sonic yelled. "First, you call me a rat, and now you refuse to tell us AGAIN?! You jerk!"

"Shaddup! Shaddup! You! Slap a cork in it!"

"I don't NEED a cork!"

"Ugh… You're the one who's the most annoying between all of you, you know that?" the spirit then lets out a yawn: "Yaaawn. So…sleepy. Mmmmm, g'night." It then flies away to another portion of the area and drifts off to sleep again.

"I'm the most annoying?! I swear…" Sonic muttered.

"Please, Sonic, cool it off a bit. I'm sure we'll find a way for the spirit to tell us." Dreamy Jewel assured.

"Anyway, we need to break these rocks somehow in order to reach the spirit." Mario looked down at the rocks. "I'm pretty sure a single Ground Pound won't work."

"Hmm… Shall we try breaking them with the Luiginoids?" Dreamy Jewel invited.

"Okey-Dokey!" Dreamy Luigi nodded before zooming into the constellation and the stack of Luiginoids was back.

The Luiginoids jumped up simultaneously before they all did a ground pound, diving all the way down while breaking all of the rocks. Once all of the Luiginoids landed hard on the ground, the impact was so loud that it even woke up the spirit.

"Come ON! Relentless!" it growled. "And now there's more of you clowns?!"

"Just shut up and tell us already! Or else we'll kick your butt!" Sonic demanded.

"Gaaaah! All right, fine! OK. I give up. You got me. Enough already. Geez… I'll tell you where the Dream Stone is."

"Well?"

"It's in SHADDUPVILLE! NOT TELL YOU!"

The whole group of top of the stack face-faulted, while some Luiginoids facepalmed.

Dreambert couldn't take it anymore; his eye twitched and then he screamed:

"INSOLENCE!"

"Ooooooh. You mad?" the spirit mocked. "Is da wittle piwwo mad?" it spoke in a babyish voice. "'Insolence!' Adorable. Ha hah! Aha ha ha! 'INSOLENCE!' Priceless!" it then flew all the way up.

"THAT IS NOT FUNNY!" Dreambert yelled. "YOU WILL PAY FOR—No. Hooo… Deep breath." He calms himself down.

"Okay… We need to teach this spirit a lesson!" Sonic demanded bitterly. "Because I'm just as mad as you are, Dreambert!"

"Yeah! Let's make that spirit talk!"

"One problem: it's way too high." Ribbon Girl spoke up. "How are we going to get all the way up there?"

"Hmm… Oh! I know!" Dreamy Jewel beamed. "Luiginoids, could you all crouch?"

The Luiginoids nodded and they all crouched low enough.

"Now let's see what happens if you release your crouching!" Dreamy Jewel then turns to the heroes. "Guys, get ready for a ride!"

With that, the Luiginoids released their crouching…and what was the result? They all sprung up REALLY high into the air in a fast speed.

"WOOOOHOOOOOO!" Baby Mario was the only one having fun, while the others were holding on for dear life until the Luiginoids landed on solid ground, right next to the sleeping spirit.

"Golly… That was a fast trip…" Baby Luigi remarked, feeling a bit woozy.

"But it was fun!" Baby Mario chirped.

"Glad you enjoyed it… Because I'm feeling quite nauseous right here…" Silver spoke queasily.

"Well, looks like we landed right next to the spirit!" Dreamy Jewel pointed down at the sleeping spirit. Dreamy Luigi then disables the Luiginoid Formation to get everyone down.

"Leave that jerk to me!" Sonic immediately walked next to the spirit. "Sorry, dude. You have been annoying me a lot, so I'll have to wake you up in the harshest way possible!"

Sonic jumps up in the air and did a very powerful Homing Attack at the spirit.

"WOWCH!" it winced from the impact and bounced all around the area before falling upside down on the sand. "You insolent rat are REALLY annoying…" it then got back up.

"YOU are the one who annoyed me! And stop calling me a rat! I'm a hedgehog!" Sonic growled.

"All right. Think you can annoy a spirit? Time to pay the price. Too late for apologies!" the spirit growled back. It flies into the background where many gears were floating. "DRILLDIGGER ON!" it yelled.

All of a sudden, the spirit glowed brightly as all of these gears flew into it. As more gears and machines coalesced into the spirit, it began to form a mechanical being, getting larger and larger by the second.

"Something tells me that we've made a huge mistake…" Yoshi gulped.

Just then, once the transformation was complete, the machine dropped down, but it was massive; almost measuring 50 ft.: the size of a T-rex.

"ACTIVATE!" the machine, known as Robo-Drilldigger spoke, glaring at the heroes, with some of them now freaking out.

"MAMA MIA!" Mario panicked.

"OH MY GOD!" Ribbon Girl yelled in shock.

"Nice going, Sonic…" Silver glared at Sonic.

"Hey! It's not my fault!" Sonic glared back.

"Guys! This is NOT the perfect time to argue! We have a dangerous problem in our hands!" Dreamy Jewel warned.

"TIME TO PAY!" Robo-Drilldigger yelled and shoulder-tackles the wall, causing it to shake and parts of it to break and fall down. At the same time, Luigi at the real world moans in fear as he cowers with his cap, and the 'L' on it began to glow. Dreamy Luigi did the same thing and his body begins to glow green.

"AAAAH! THIS IS BAD!" Kirby screamed.

"WHAT TO DO NOW?!" Yoshi cried out.

"Dreamy Luigi! Stay strong!" Dreambert flew to Dreamy Luigi, still cowering in fear and crouched down on the ground. "Huh? What is that? Dreamy Luigi's body is…shining?"

"Oh… I sense something big is about to happen!" Dreamy Jewel suspected.

"Are you OK?! DREAMY LUIGI!" Dreambert tries to call for him, but no response.

 ***CRASH!***

Robo-Drilldigger tackles the wall again.

"Hmm… We might need some help from the real world! That's our best bet, Dreambert!" Dreamy Jewel told.

" ***CRASH!*** I'LL CRUSH YOU! ***CRASH!*** INTO PIECES! ***CRASH!*** " Robo-Drilldigger growled as it tackles the wall more.

"YIKES!" Baby Luigi yelped.

"Uh oh! Hurry, Jewel!" Dreambert warned.

"I'm on it!" Dreamy Jewel quickly pulls out her Calling Moonstone and calls for Starlow. "Starlow! Starlow!"

At the real world, Starlow noticed Luigi's cowering before Dreamy Jewel gave her call:

"Hey! I think something's wrong with Luigi!"

" _Starlow! Starlow!"_ Dreamy Jewel's voice came into Starlow's head.

"Jewel?! What is it this time?"

" _We're in grave danger here at the dream world! Do something! Quick!"_

"Ehh?! I need to do something? I don't know what to do!"

" _Umm… Try touching Luigi! Anywhere on his head!"_

"I should just touch Luigi? Errr…"

" _Oh! I almost forgot! Is there anything that's sparkling on him?"_

"Huh? Uh… Hold on! The 'L' on his cap is glowing!"

" _The 'L' on his cap? That's it! Touch it, Starlow! Hurry!"_

Starlow then does a quick touch on the 'L' insignia on the cap. Just then, at the dream world, two Luiginoids merged within Dreamy Luigi while speaking:

 _Big bro and friends are in danger!_

"Whoa, what's that?" Dreambert asked.

"His glow became intense… Oh, right!" Dreamy Jewel calls for Starlow again: "Starlow! Can you do that again?"

" _Eh?! So I should just touch the 'L' on Luigi's cap?!"_ Starlow questioned.

"Yes! But this time, hold it down!"

Starlow does that, and more and more Luiginoids merged within Dreamy Luigi.

 _I gotta help my bro and friends!_

 _I'll protect my bro and my friends!_

"Starlow! That's enough!" Dreamy Jewel warned once an endless shower of Luiginoids were merging automatically. "Dreamy Luigi is…"

Suddenly, Dreamy Luigi began to grow bigger and bigger, ending up in the same size as Robo-Drilldigger.

"Huh?! What the-?!" Dreamy Luigi wasn't expecting that. "AH! I'm huge?!"

He looked at Robo-Drilldigger, glaring madly at him.

"YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME?!" Robo-Drilldigger threatened Giant Luigi, shaking its left drill at him like a clenched fist.

"Well, I…" Giant Luigi hesitated; he didn't feel quite safe fighting Robo-Drilldigger all by himself.

"Luigi! That was amazing!" he then heard Sonic's voice coming from below. He looked down and saw all of his friends safe and sound.

"You guys! ***deep sigh*** I am so glad you're still okay!" Giant Luigi let out a sigh of relief.

The group ran towards Giant Luigi and jumped all the way to the top of his cap.

"You can do this, Luigi. Remember, we're all here for you." Mario encouraged him.

"That should even things!" Dreamy Jewel winked.

Giant Luigi felt confident and stood in his fighting stance, ready to take out Robo-Drilldigger. He starts by stomping it, sending it a few feet away. Robo-Drilldigger then surrounds itself with a large tornado and sends out small tornadoes at Giant Luigi, but he jumped over to avoid them.

Robo-Drilldigger sends out the tornado at the distance, giving the chance for Giant Luigi to whack it into the tornado with a Hammer Chop. The tornado caused Robo-Drilldigger to fling into the air and land hard on the ground, taking more damage. Robo-Drilldigger then takes on a tank-like form and charges straight for Giant Luigi, but he engaged it with his hammer, sending it far away into the mountains, demolishing them.

Robo-Drilldigger came back, still in its tank-like form, so Giant Luigi had to use Hammer Chop on it since its drills are pointing upwards above its head. Robo-Drilldigger then takes on a helicopter-like form and shoots out drills at Giant Luigi, but he uses his hammer to hit them away. He proceeds to stomp Robo-Drilldigger afterwards since it was on the air. Robo-Drilldigger tries to ram into Giant Luigi in this form, only for him to engage it with his hammer.

Robo-Drilldigger returns to its regular form, goes back a few feet away to charge up an electric orb from its mouth, and send it at Giant Luigi. Since he didn't know what to do, Giant Luigi was hit by the orb and was flung back.

"OUCH! That really hurt!" he cried in pain.

"You OK, Dreamy Luigi?!" Dreamy Jewel asked. "It seems that you took a lot of damage!"

"Don't worry, bro! I've got a few Healing Mushrooms with me!" Mario assured.

Giant Luigi lets Mario land on his palm as the latter began to throw the mushrooms rhythmically. Giant Luigi followed the rhythm by swallowing the mushrooms until he started to feel better. Giant Luigi then lets Mario jump back on his cap.

"Oof… Doing that is sort of tiring…" Mario panted as he lies down on the cap to rest.

"How can throwing mushrooms in rhythm be tiring?" Silver tilted his head in confusion.

"Logic from the original game…" Dreamy Jewel shrugged. "Sorry if I had to break the Fourth Wall again…"

Robo-Drilldigger next spins rapidly to envelop itself into a large tornado in front of Giant Luigi. It then teleports up, down and middle rapidly, and Giant Luigi had to guess which position it was. He guessed it was down and hit it with his hammer, sending it at the background again.

Robo-Drilldigger digs into the ground and comes back in front of Giant Luigi by emerging out of the sand. The giant mech now looked damaged, with cracks all over its body. Enraged, Robo-Drilldigger fired the same electric orb attack again at Giant Luigi.

"Uh oh, what do I do?!" he panicked.

"Use the hammer this time!" Dreamy Jewel called out.

Giant Luigi quickly pulled out his hammer and slid back when the hammer's head made contact with the orb. After struggling long enough, Giant Luigi managed to send the orb right back at Robo-Drilldigger, causing it to short-circuit from being hit by its own attack and was now dazed.

"It is time! The foe is weak and ripe for defeat!" Dreambert warned.

"Let's finish it off with the Finishing Team!" Dreamy Jewel fist pumped.

Giant Luigi crouches close to the ground before doing a very high jump into the air, where he reached a starry sky and grabbed a large Power Star. Mario and his crew jumped on the Power Star, and Giant Luigi threw it downwards like if he's throwing a Frisbee.

"You know, this almost feels like I'm riding my Warp Star again!" Kirby exclaimed.

"If that's the case, could you steer it for us, Kirby?" Mario requested.

"Sure!"

Thanks to his amazing star-driving skills, Kirby flew the Power Star right through Robo-Drilldigger, causing it to explode. Upon everyone celebrated their victory, Giant Luigi started to glow green as all the Luiginoids that merged within him flew out, and he slowly started to shrink back to normal.

Mario and co. landed back on the ground safely.

"Well, that was fun!" Baby Mario beamed.

"Yep! But…where's dreamy older me?" Baby Luigi asked, looking around.

"…AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" everyone heard Dreamy Luigi's scream coming from above. He ends up faceplanting into the sand.

"Ouch… That's gotta hurt." Ribbon Girl winced as Luigi got his face out of the sand.

"Why did I have to shrink in midair…?" Dreamy Luigi groaned.

Then, everyone saw the Dream Stone's spirit flying towards them.

"Alright, you got your butt kicked. What else do you have for us?!" Sonic growled, with the rest of the group also glaring at the spirit.

"Hey, big green!" the spirit called cheerfully for Dreamy Luigi. "You're the man!"

"Of course I am! …Wait, what?" Dreamy Luigi raised an eyebrow.

"I thought all you real-world types were small fries! But you're a big fry! So I'll go ahead and… TELL YOU!"

"YES! FINALLY!" Sonic yelled while raising both fists in the air.

"But only to big green! It'll be our little secret."

"Well, okay then." Dreamy Luigi nodded.

The spirit makes a cloud pop out, and a tall mountain appeared in it.

"C-clouds… Rocks…a cliff… A mountain. Definitely a mountain." The spirit spoke.

"A mountain? It must be Mount Pajamaja!" Dreamy Jewel snapped her fingers.

"Hey! What's your deal?! This is an A-and-B conversation, so SHADDUP!" the spirit growled at her.

"Okay! Okay! Sheesh, it's not like I'm trying to interfere!" Dreamy Jewel rolled her eyes.

"Whatever…"

"Mount Pajamaja… It's a huge mountain on the north side of the island." Dreamy Jewel explained. "Only the most courageous tourists have the will to climb it."

"Are you happy now? I'm going back to bed." The spirit said. It turned back to Dreamy Luigi. "Oh, and big green… Here's something I found while escaping from you and the others." It hands Dreamy Luigi a nightmare chunk. "Hope to see ya around! I haven't had a fight like that in ages. Maybe next time I can take on big red and the others. Bye." It then flies away.

"Maybe this nightmare chunk belongs to the Chaos Emerald!" Sonic guessed. "We can finally free Silver from the dream world!"

"All right!" Silver fist pumped.

"Great! Let's break it and get back to the real world! Our next stop is Mount Pajamaja!" Mario hollered.

Everyone nodded before Dreamy Luigi broke the nightmare chunk with his hammer, and a Dreamy White Chaos Emerald came out of it. He grabs it and it glowed brightly enveloping everything in white as the dark Emerald at the real world wiggled and emitted colorful sparkles.

* * *

The heroes were back at the real world. Once Luigi and Jewel woke up, the petrified Emerald floats up and sends out Silver, before regaining its white color.

"Phew… Glad I'm finally out of all that!" Silver sighed as he got back up. "Still, the dream world wasn't that bad."

"We recovered three Emeralds so far." Sonic picks up the White Chaos Emerald. "Just three more remaining."

"So?! Spill it! What did you find out?" Starlow interfered, flying next to the heroes.

"The Dream Stone is at Mount Pajamaja!" Dreambert answered.

"Mount Pajawhatsa? Where's that?"

"It's on the north side of the island. Behind Pi'illo Castle." Jewel responded.

"Gotcha! Let's hurry to Mount Pajamaja!"

Everyone nodded and proceeded to exit the desert.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **I LOVED the Giant Battles in this game! They felt so cinematic and intense than the ones from Bowser's Inside Story for me. I'm glad that I at least experienced them in Dream Team, since I never played Bowser's Inside Story.  
**

 **So the Dream Stone is at Mount Pajamaja! But getting there isn't going to be easy... They must go into another area first! Until then! Please review.**


	11. Shopping in Wakeport

**Next chapter done!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Shopping in Wakeport**

As they were exiting the desert, something came on Jewel's mind:

"You know, I think I might know why Dreamy Luigi suddenly grew big before fighting Robo-Drilldigger."

"You do?" Yoshi piped up.

"It seemed that when we were all in grave danger, Dreamy Luigi was willing to protect us despite the danger. His love that he shares with all of us, mixed in with the fear and worry for us allows him to 'outgrow' himself to overcome his fear and to protect us."

"That actually make sense! It's his dreams, after all."

Soon, they finally exited Dozing Sands and were back to Mushrise Park, where they heard a Shelltop's voice:

"Now taking applications for the Mount Pajamaja tour! Visit us in Wakeport! Accepting climbers of all skill levels!"

"Mount Pajamaja climbing tour? Do we need to register for it?" Luigi asked.

"Oh, you folks are interested in the climbing tour? Yes, only registered climbers are allowed on Mount Pajamaja. You can register for the tour at the tour center in Wakeport! I hope you can join us!" the Shelltop left.

"Tour…center?" Dreambert raised an eyebrow. "What sort of thing is that?"

"Welcome to the modern days, Dreambert." Sonic sassed.

"A tour is a journey for pleasure, during which you visit several different towns, areas and etc." Jewel explained. "And it sounds like joining a tour is the only way to climb Mount Pajamaja."

"Things have sure changed since I've been gone…"

"The tour center is in Wakeport, right Jewel?" Starlow asked.

"Yes. Wakeport is located just west of the park, so it's not too far." Jewel told.

"Say… I'm kinda feeling tired after wandering in the desert for too long…" Yoshi said. "I'm gonna go relax at the castle."

"I'll go with you too, Yoshi." Silver offered. "Good luck, everyone!" he and Yoshi left.

"Well, we're back to eight again." Mario said. "Let's head to Wakeport!"

They all nodded and went all the way to the west of Mushrise Park to reach said port.

* * *

Wakeport is a city area located west of Mushrise Park. It was previously known as Wake Isle at the Pi'illo Kingdom era. Today, there are many houses and buildings around, so we could say that this area is considered the most populated one on Pi'illo Island. Ruins are left around the town to maintain the historic symbols of the town, and is also used as a way to attract tourists. There is a hotel district, a shopping district, a food stand district and an event plaza. The name is a pun on 'wake', from the term 'wake up!'

"Whoa! This place is amazing!" Sonic exclaimed. "It sort of feels like I'm at Apotos again! Now all that's remaining is that Chocolate Chipped Cream Sundae Supreme!"

"Suddenly, I feel like I wanna shop…" Ribbon Girl spoke up.

"Gee, this is making me enjoy more our vacation…" Luigi said.

"Too bad we have more important things to do right now." Mario reminded.

"Well, the tour is going to take very long; it begins at 12 o'clock. And it's still 10 o'clock." Jewel checks her watch. "So let's go register in the tour center first and then we can relax a bit until the tour starts."

The group wandered around all the way to the west to look for the tour center. That is, until they came upon a house where they heard a voice:

"Boo! Boo, I say! There's supposed to be treasure in this dump! But it ain't here, see? I've been bamboozled!"

"Wait… I know that voice!" Sonic piped up.

"I know it too!" Mario added.

"And me!" Luigi finished.

"…Who?" Starlow asked.

Just then, a very familiar Beanish came out of the house and bumped into Mario, Luigi and Sonic in the process.

"Yeeeowch!" the Beanish yelled in pain, dropping all of the things he had stolen. "Watch where ya goin', ya clumsy mugs! Ya think ya can just bump into the Great Popple? COME OFF IT!" Popple calms down a bit and spoke: "Criminy… You're lookin' at a legend, see? A LEGEND. I've swiped treasures from every corner of the world! THE SHADOW THIEF! THE BARON OF BURGLE!" everyone looked at each other in confusion. "I give up. I know shmoes like you three." He directs to Mario, Luigi and Sonic as he picks up the stolen treasures. "Yeah, I met me some fat-stached and animal palookas… And they're TROUBLE! Trouble, I say! YEEEARGH! Just rememberin' that gets on my last nerve! Those punks, gettin' in my biz in the Beanbean Kingdom! Ooh, I hate 'em! Those drips! Those beardy and skunky bumbleheads!"

" _And he was just a loser back then…_ " Sonic thought while secretly smirking.

"HEH! But I'll make a fresh start on this island! I'm leavin', see? Off to filch my next treasure!" Popple then scurries off.

"What was THAT all about, huh?" Starlow questioned.

"How come Popple didn't figure out that WE were the ones who he was referring to?" Mario puzzled. "He doesn't remember us at all?"

"Well, whatever. I think it's best for him to not figure out. I don't wanna go through that again!" Luigi protested.

"Yeah, even if that guy was a sore loser, he was still a pain to us…" Sonic muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Starlow asked.

"That guy was Popple, who calls himself the Shadow Thief." Mario explained. "We encountered him multiple times at our adventure in the Beanbean Kingdom, and he was always interfering us in many ways possible."

"Oh, right. You mean that adventure that became a movie? Gosh, now I really wished I've watched it…" Starlow sighed. "Anyway, let's find the tour center!"

Just then, they spotted a familiar face right up ahead near the bridge.

"Wait! Is that…?" Sonic breathed.

As they approached the person, he turned around and saluted:

"Yo, Sonic!" it was Knuckles!

"Knuckles? What are you doing here?" Sonic didn't believe that Knuckles didn't get imprisoned.

"I've heard about the Mount Pajamaja climbing tour, and boy, was I excited! I felt that as an opportunity to test my climbing skills! So I went to the tour center and registered. And now I'm just relaxing here until the tour begins!" Knuckles explained.

"That's exactly where we need to go! Where is it, Knuckles?" Jewel asked.

"It's just right there, past this bridge! It's a green building with a suitcase. Are you joining the tour too?"

"We are. In fact, we need to get to Mount Pajamaja for another reason."

"Sorry for cutting in, but what happened to your Red Chaos Emerald, Knuckles? Do you have it or not?" Sonic interfered and asked Knuckles.

"Uh… About that…" Knuckles replied embarrassed. "I ended up dropping it somewhere as I was gliding to this place."

"You…" Sonic's eye twitched. "You LOST IT?!" he yelled.

"Sonic! Control your temper!" Jewel warned. "Plus, the people around here might hear you!"

"It's not my fault! I didn't notice it falling off!" Knuckles protested.

"Knuckles… I oughta…" Sonic muttered.

"We can worry about that later, Sonic. Let's just register and relax." Jewel offered. "Anyways, thanks for telling us, Knuckles!"

"No problem!" Knuckles replied.

The group made their way to the building, which was green with a suitcase above the entrance. They went inside.

"Welcome to the tour center!" a Shelltop greeted. "We employ specialized guides to offer you various fun tours! Please don't hesitate to talk to our staff at the counter!"

They thanked and went to the counter.

"Hey, super to see you!" the Shelltop Worker greeted. "And what kind of tour's on your ask list today?"

"We want to register ourselves for Mount Pajamaja's climbing tour." Mario responded.

"Ah… I see, I see. You're dialed into Mount Pajamaja? Great. Well, one of our key learnings is that it's a real challenging climb! Yeah, that's a common reaction, but the mountain's serious…"

"NOT FOR THESE GUYS!" Starlow exclaimed. "They're stronger than they look! And two of them are the famous Super Mario Brothers!" she pauses for a moment before continuing: "I've gotta say… This song and dance feels familiar… Guess we have to…" she turns to Mario and Luigi. "Bros? Do your thing."

Both nodded and demonstrated their famous jump, shocking the Shelltop crowd in the tour center.

"Off the charts!" the Shelltop Worker exclaimed. Mario then tosses his hammer in the air and catches it on his hand perfectly. "H-hammer mastery?!"

"Come on, older me!" Baby Luigi whispered next to Luigi.

Luigi tosses his hammer in the air, but instead of catching it…it flattened him. The heroes sweatdropped at that.

"He didn't…" Baby Mario breathed.

"Oh, not again… DON'T BLOW IT." Starlow spoke.

Just then, the whole scene plays in slow motion as the hammer flies off of Luigi, who runs after it and manages to catch it this time. With that, everyone cheered for him as confetti falls down from the ceiling.

"Yes! I did it!" Luigi fist pumped.

"Yay!" both babies cheered.

"Hey, great job! You did it…this time!" Starlow complimented.

"Heh heh heh… Hoh hoh HOH… BAAR HAR HAR!" the Shelltop Worker guffawed. "I got you! I hear you!"

" _Does he really have to laugh that loud?_ " Sonic thought.

"I've got good visibility on you all! You're burly! Just like that red echidna! I can give you access to a core-focused tour!"

"Core-focused tour?" Luigi asked.

"Yeah… It's called… MASSIF VERT! A BIG, BAD, BRUTAL… MOUNTAIN TOUR! The tour will begin at 12 o'clock! You're all registered, so take your time around Wakeport until the tour starts. Once it does, head south of town, in front of the clock tower!"

Everyone thanked the Shelltop Worker and left the tour center.

"Well, we are free to hang around as much as we want in Wakeport until the tour begins." Jewel said. "How about we scatter around?"

Everyone nodded and spilt up. Mario and Luigi went to the shopping district to buy some items and Sonic, Kirby, the babies, Jewel, Starlow, Dreambert and Ribbon Girl went to the food stand district to eat something by looking through the food stands. Jewel led Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and Kirby to an ice cream stand and ordered a vanilla ice cream, a chocolate ice cream and a strawberry ice cream with one scoop.

"That's 30 coins in total." The Shelltop said. Jewel paid her 30 coins and held two cones with her left hand and the other one with her right. "Thanks."

"Yay! Ice cream!" Baby Mario exclaimed like an excited child.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

Jewel then hands the vanilla ice cream to Baby Mario, the strawberry one to Baby Luigi, and the chocolate one to Kirby. She watches the youngsters having their first couple of licks. Surprisingly enough, they didn't get messy.

"It's yummy!" Baby Luigi smiled.

"How about you both stay with your adult selves while I and Kirby will hang around with Starlow, Dreambert and Ribbon Girl?" Jewel suggested, leaning down to the babies.

"Okey!" Baby Mario nodded. "Where are they, by the way?"

"They must be coming out of the Item Shop at the shopping district. You may find them there." Jewel told before she left with Kirby.

Baby Mario and Baby Luigi nodded to each other before heading to the shopping district and stopping in front of the Item Shop, where they saw their older selves coming out of the store.

"Do you think that's enough, Mario?" Luigi asked.

"I'm sure of that, Luigi." Mario replied. "We've got four Super Mushrooms, four Super Nuts, two Supersyrup Jars, four Star Candies, one 1-Up Mushroom, and two Refreshing Herbs."

"Hiya!" they heard Baby Mario's voice. They looked down and saw him along with Baby Luigi holding each an ice cream cone.

"Oh, hey!" Mario beamed, leaning down to them. "Mmm, you're eating ice cream? How about we sit under that shade so that your ice creams won't melt?" he pointed to a nearby tent. The babies nodded.

The adult brothers guided their baby selves to the shade offered by the tent and sat down on the palm tree leaves on the ground. Mario and Luigi watched their younger selves licking away their ice creams and cracked a soft smile. Then, Baby Mario whispered something in Baby Luigi's ear before both handed their ice cream cones to their adult selves.

"Want some?" Baby Mario asked.

Mario and Luigi gladly accepted the cones from each of their baby selves. They took a few licks, and found the ice cream's flavors very tasty.

"Wow! That tastes delicious!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Indeed!" Mario nodded. "Now I don't know if I like Pi'illo Island's or Gelato Beach's ice cream…"

The adult Mario Bros then shared the two ice cream cones with their younger selves. Upon finishing both ice cream cones, they stood up, but not before Mario and Luigi held their toddler selves' hands and walked out of the shade. However, before they could get any further, they accidentally bumped into a female Koopa.

"YOIKS!" she winced.

"Oh, sorry!" Mario apologized.

"Nah, I should be the one to apologize. I was quite distracted taking photos that I didn't notice you, fellas." She replied. "Anyway, name's Kylie Koopa! Ace guidebook writer for the entire island!" Kylie strikes a pose.

"…Kylie?!" the four brothers said surprised.

"Eh? You know who I am, whiskers? Have we met before?" Kylie asked.

"We have!" Baby Mario answered.

"You were working as a reporter the first time we met you." Mario told.

"You're sure old Kylie was a reporter back when? Fellas, I've had so many jobs, I can't even start!" Kylie replied. "Anyway, it ain't got nothing to do with the fix I'm in! I'm busy as a beaver and ain't got time for yakking… I'm right now taking photos for the island's guidebook."

"Oh, okay. We understand."

"Alright. Sorry about earlier! See ya!" Kylie waved and left.

"Wow, first Popple, and now Kylie? How many familiar faces are there in this island?" Luigi questioned while scratching his head.

"I know, right? It seems that everything changes as time passes…" Mario pondered. "Well, anyway, how about we continue our walk?"

"Sure!" Baby Luigi nodded.

 _ **With Sonic…**_

He was sitting on the rooftops, admiring the view while taking a bite of a chilidog he bought at a food stand.

"Am I glad that this island offers all kinds of hot dogs!" Sonic smiled. "I gotta say, Pi'illo Island is such a nice place to go on a vacation!"

He continues to eat his chilidog and admiring Wakeport's view.

 _ **With Jewel, Kirby, Starlow, Dreambert and Ribbon Girl…**_

They were wandering around and were about to reach the event plaza. Kirby was of course eating his chocolate ice cream. For the others, Jewel was eating a colorful lollipop, Ribbon Girl was having a simple bottle of water, and Starlow and Dreambert were sharing a pink cotton candy.

As soon as they passed by the stage, Ribbon Girl piped up:

"Hey, look! That's the stage where I'm going to perform!" she pointed before taking a sip of her water.

"Oh, you mean the stage where you're going to sing? Looks nice!" Starlow smiled while taking a bite of her cotton candy.

"I've never seen live shows or anything like that, so I'm quite curious about that." Dreambert said. He takes a bite of the cotton candy. "My, the food in this place is so good!"

"Well, we're in the modern days, Dreambert!" Jewel exclaimed after licking her lollipop.

They continued to have a walk around.

* * *

 _ **One hour later…**_

It was now 11:59, which means the tour was about to start. Everyone regrouped next to the tour center.

"Everyone, the tour is about to start! Let's head to the place in front of the clock tower!" Jewel said.

"I can't wait!" Knuckles exclaimed.

The group went all the way down, where a Shelltop spoke to them:

"Tourists! You're here for the tour to Mount Pajamaja, yes? The tour center let us know you'd be coming! Orientation is about to start! C'mon, let's go! This way, please!"

The Shelltop guided them to the fountain with a green clock in the middle. There, standing in front of a crowd of two Yoshis, a Toad, three Hooskis and two Beanish, a large Hooski man wearing green clothes and a brown mustache similar to Luigi's mustache was announcing the tour:

"IS TOUR TIME! I am muscled guide for tour of Mount Pajamaja! I am younger Massif Bro! Am called Li'l Massif!"

"You just made it in time! Please enjoy your tour!" the Shelltop exclaimed before leaving.

"Is tough, climbing Mount Pajamaja! Da, mountain separates beef from side salad! Let guard down on mountain, and mountain CRUSH you! Is only one true goal of tour…" Li'l Massif jumps on the fountain's edge and takes a flexing pose while speaking in some sort of macho way: "LIVE TO BEEF AGAIN!" he then finishes normally: "Is end."

With that, the people in the crowd all ended up with nervous looks. The Toad then steps forward and says:

"Umm… Excuse me…"

"Da? Questions?" Li'l Massif asked.

"I don't think I can handle all the…beef. I'm sorry, but I'm breaking out!" he leaves.

"That tour center didn't make it sound as hard as hoo…" the male Hooski remarked.

"I'm hooing out! I don't wanna risk my hoos on some cliff!" the female Hooski shook her head and both left.

"What…do you think?" one of the Beanish asked.

"I'm freaking out, that's what! Do I look beefy to you?!" the other one replied before both also left.

"I just thought I'd find yummy fruits on the mountain…" the green Yoshi sighed.

"But risking my life for it… No way! I'm gone!" the yellow Yoshi refused and both left as well.

"Hoo…" the young Hooski who was left alone panicked while sweating hard. "Hoo… Hoo… HooOOUCH! Aw hoo, sudden stomachache! Can't hoo a mountain in this condition… Hoo bad! Hoouch…" he scurries off last.

A breeze of emptiness blew, until Mario and his crew stepped in.

"Uh? Tourists still here. Is for real?" Li'l Massif was surprised. "Cutlets still want to climb Mount Pajamaja?"

"Of course we still want!" Baby Mario nodded.

"Uh, really?" Li'l Massif murmured. He cleans his throat before speaking: "Da… Da, so then Mount Pajamaja tour begins… NOW!"

"All right!" the group exclaimed. That is, until Li'l Massif paused for a moment. He replies:

"I say this usually, but uh… Uhhhhh…" Li'l Massif got a nervous look on his face while sweating.

"What's the matter? Let's go already!" Starlow blurted.

"This is thing… Tour usually run by me and brother, Big Massif. But I am not finding in any of usual places…"

"Whaaat?! The tour guide went missing? We NEED to go to Mount Pajamaja!"

"Hnngh… Gahhhh… IS NEW TOUR!" Li'l Massif announced. "Is change of plans! New tour called… BIG MASSIF HUNT! EXTREME BEEFING! WAKEPORT TOUR!"

"You have got to be kidding!" Sonic facepalmed. "We're wasting our time with this?!"

"What do you guys think?" Starlow asked the group.

"Well, we don't really have a choice… Guess we'll have to locate his brother." Mario answered.

"That's true…"

"OK, look, big guy, we'll find your big brother for you. But when we do, you have to start the REAL tour!" Sonic told Li'l Massif.

"Da, is shameful…" Li'l Massif murmured before replying: "But da, once brother comes, we climb Mount Pajamaja!"

"Alright, I'll wait for you here." Knuckles said. "Turn the town upside down and find this guy!"

The group nodded and went south. They encountered some Hermit Crabs and freed three Pink Pi'illos on the way to gain access to the ruins to the west side. To get in, they had to solve a floor puzzle. Upon doing that, they eventually found Big Massif sleeping heavily on the ground. Little did the group notice that this area was a Dreampoint and was shining just like the ruins in Dozing Sands.

"There he is, huh? Big Massif." Starlow said.

"He's been napping here all along! Are you serious?" Sonic retorted.

"Let's just wake this guy up so that we can continue on." Mario told.

The group approached Big Massif and tried all sorts of things that could snap him awake, like jumping and shouting, but none of them worked. Even Baby Mario, being impulsive as always, tried to whack his hammer at Big Massif's head, but he still wouldn't wake up.

"Wow! This guy won't wake up!" Baby Mario said surprised. "Usually hammering on the head would always work…"

" _For ME, only…_ " Luigi thought while rolling his eyes, remembering back when Baby Mario whacked him on the head to awake him at Gritzy Caves. " _But still… I didn't mean to make our younger selves cry…_ "

"I'm pretty sure something's not right here…" Jewel suspected.

"Yeah, there's no way anyone would sleep all day." Mario shook his head. "Nevertheless, I think he's just in a deep sleep."

"I mean, he DOES seem to be sleeping, true… But he's breathing really slow, right? And I was just yelling, and he didn't move!" Starlow stated.

"HNNGAH!" suddenly, Big Massif groaned in his sleep.

"AAAH!" everyone jumped in startle.

"WAH!" during the startle, Luigi stepped on something, causing him to trip and fall on his butt to the ground.

"What the… Hey! Another petrified Chaos Emerald!" Sonic noticed that Luigi had tripped on another Emerald encased in nightmare. "Wait… If an Emerald is here, that means…"

"Correct. This place is a Dreampoint." Dreambert confirmed. He directs to Big Massif. "This person… He could well sleep here forever!"

"What did you say?!" Starlow flinched.

"The Dreampoints have a very powerful dream aura… It is rare, but sometimes they hold people in the dream. Those who suffer such a fate end up like this one. Except… I sense he has CHOSEN to remain here."

The group gasped by that.

"So he doesn't want to wake up?" Kirby said shocked.

"What's he dreaming about anyway?!" Ribbon Girl questioned.

"Beef… Stronger… Daaa… Muscle up…" Big Massif moaned in his sleep. Everyone went silent.

"…Maybe it's better not to know…" Jewel sweatdropped.

"We have no choice! We must wake him… IN his dream!" Dreambert said.

"Is it possible?" Luigi tilted his head.

"Indeed. First, we must find him in the dream world. Then we must convince him to wake! Luigi, please try sleeping next to him just like how Jewel sleeps next to you. Lay your head on me!"

Dreambert turns into his pillow form next to Big Massif and the petrified Chaos Emerald. Luigi fell asleep on the pillow and the portal opened. Jewel watched her Pillow turning cyan.

"The Chaos Emerald used to be cyan…" Sonic pondered upon eying Jewel's Pillow. "I think I gave this one to Rouge!" he remembered. " _Good thing Knuckles didn't come along with us; he's always annoyed by her…_ " he thought.

With that, Jewel rests on her Pillow and Mario and his crew entered the portal.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Isn't it great to see two characters from the first two Mario & Luigi games returning? Since this chapter would end too short, I decided to add some fun time with the heroes. After all, they do deserve a small break, right?  
**

 **It's off to the dream world version of Wakeport! Until then! Please review.**


	12. Dreamy Wakeport Repose

**Took me long enough to finish this chapter because the progress was very long indeed.**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Dreamy Wakeport Repose**

Dreamy Wakeport's background looked very odd: the clouds reached the bottom and the sky and buildings similar to the ones at the real world were either upside-down at the ceiling, clinging horizontally to the walls with some bushes and green flowers, or standing upright normally. Transparent white windows of the buildings were scrolling all over in the background, and palm trees, flowerpots, bushes and blue flowers were decorating the ground, both sides of the walls and the ceiling. Silhouettes of Yoshis, Toads, Hooskis, Beanish, Shelltops and people dressed in Zeekeeper costumes also showed up in the background. Some bushes were attached under the ground, and all of the platforms were the own tents that gave shading.

The heroes arrived in the dream world and upon looking around a bit, they spotted Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel behind them. They went down the green pipe in front of them. After emerging out, they heard a voice:

"Oh! Look who we have here!" it belonged to Rouge. "It's big blue and his friends!"

"Yep, Rouge." Sonic nodded.

" ***sigh*** that's actually the second time I have been stolen since back with Time Eater. That Chaos Emerald just sucked me in here out of the blue."

"That's due to a curse casted on the island. Anyway, we're here to find Big Massif."

"Big Massif? The Mount Pajamaja tour guide?"

"That guy."

"He's right now sleeping heavily. We need to make him wake up, or else we'll never get to the mountain." Mario explained.

"I see… Then, let me join you!" Rouge winked.

They walked up ahead until they spotted a familiar green building with a suitcase.

"That must be the dream world's version of the tour center!" Kirby exclaimed.

"Let's head there to get some information." Mario said.

As soon as they approached the tour center, the same green Shelltop Worker showed up and greeted:

"Well, hello there! And welcome! This is the dream world's tour center! Wonderful journeys await you. In fact… We have the perfect seasonal tour right now! Introducing… THE MUSHROOM DEEP DIVE!"

Hearing these words made Dreamy Luigi and Baby Luigi remind of the Dream's Deep and they got nervous.

"Oh, hell no! We're not going through that again!" Dreamy Luigi refused, shaking his head.

"For my sake, we shouldn't! That place kind of creeped me out!" Baby Luigi shuddered.

"Is there any other kind of tour?" Ribbon Girl asked.

"Young lady, we can arrange ANY type of tour… Adaptability—that's our signature!" the Shelltop Worker answered. "JUST ASK! JUST ASK! Let's explore what's on your mind!"

"Well… We're here to look for Big Massif." Dreamy Jewel said.

"Looking for Big Massif in the dream world, are we?"

"Yes, we want to wake him up." Baby Mario added.

"Want to wake up Big Massif, do we? So, a tour related to Big Massif, huh?"

"Yeah. So…?" Sonic waited for a response. However…

"NO TOUR FOR THAT!" the Shelltop Worker announced, and the whole group face-faulted.

"For crying out loud! Can this day get ANY worse?!" Sonic complained, still on the ground.

 _ ***RIIIIING!***_

Just then, the Shelltop Worker's cellphone began to ring. He answers it:

"Hello? Tour center, what's on your ask list? Hm? Yes? Big Massif…"

Just by hearing the words 'Big Massif' was enough to make Mario and co. get back on their feet. They listened to the Shelltop Worker's conversation with Big Massif:

"Battle… Mustache guys…little tykes…her highness…pink ball…ribbon lady…hedgehog guy…and the bat girl… Beef-Off? I see… OK, I'll ping you back in a sec." he turns off his cellphone.

" _That Big Massif guy almost got my name right…_ " Ribbon Girl thought.

"That was Big Massif on the line! He says he wants you to spar with him! Win what he calls the Beef-Off, and Big Massif will meet you!"

"Alright, we have no other choice. We'll accept his challenge." Mario responded.

"OK then, I'll just give Big Massif a buzz." He then turns on his cellphone and dials Big Massif's number before putting it to his ear: "Hello? Big Massif? Tour center here. The six gentlemen and the three gentlewomen agreed to the Beef-Off. Hm? Your disciples? A 'beef' assessment?" the Shelltop Worker turned off his cellphone again and tells the group: "Doesn't look like much beef to assess…"

"Heavy Zest in the house!" suddenly, a very excited voice came in. "Aw yeah!"

The person with that voice showed up as a smiley Hooski with orange pants. Heavy Zest stomps the Shelltop Worker in the process before landing on the ground behind the heroes.

"Who the heck…?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"Sorrow Fist!" Heavy Zest called.

Then, a skinny Hooski with a sorrowful face and blue pants walked in.

"I'd really appreciate it if I could just sit here a bit…" Sorrow Fist spoke quietly while sobbing. "Sniff… I dropped a piece of candy, and I am super bummed…"

"Thunder Sass!" Heavy Zest called.

"HOO-RAW! Out the way! MOOOOVE!" an angry-toned voice came in.

Its owner belonged to a small Hooski with a mad face and yellow pants. He came into the scene by ramming into Sorrow Fist. Mario and his crew jumped over Thunder Sass to avoid being rammed over too. Upon stopping, Thunder Sass bumped into Heavy Zest and knocked him to the ground, causing him to glare at him upon standing back up. Heavy Zest shook that off and called:

"Beef Cloud!" however, no one showed up. "BEEF CLOUD!" he called louder.

Just then, a large shadow appeared over Sonic, Kirby and Ribbon Girl. They looked up and quickly moved out of the way. The one who landed was a round Hooski with a sleepy face and white pants.

"Damn! That was close!" Ribbon Girl retorted.

"Watch where you're landing on, sleepyhead!" Sonic glared at Beef Cloud.

Of course, Beef Cloud drifted to sleep instantly.

"Wake up, Beef Cloud!" Heavy Zest called out.

Beef Cloud snaps awake and mumbles:

"Mwaaah… Mornin'."

" _Their personalities incredibly matches my friend Peach's four vibes!_ " Dreamy Jewel thought, noticing how each of these Hooskis relate to each of Peach's four vibes: Joy for Heavy Zest, Gloom for Sorrow Fist, Rage for Thunder Sass and Calm for Beef Cloud. " _That must be a reference…_ "

"We are the Hooraws! Disciples of Big Massif!" Heavy Zest introduced.

"We have these Hooraw Medals… You've gotta fight us for them…" Sorrow Fist added, saddened as expected. "That's the only way to prove you're dude enough to spar with Big Massif."

"So if we defeat you four, we can meet Big Massif?" Dreambert asked.

"Aw yeah… But a fight with no big buildup is super boring… So we're gonna hide to pump this action up!" Heavy Zest exclaimed. "You wanna fight us, you gotta find us! Hooraws out!" the four scurried off immediately (well, except for Beef Cloud, of course).

"They are fleet…" Dreambert remarked.

"Ugh… MORE nonsense distractions just to delay us for reaching Mount Pajamaja…" Sonic muttered.

"But we have to do it since we have no other option." Mario stated. "Let's just follow to where they went."

They went up ahead, where they arrived in a room with four different colored pipes; each matching the color of each disciple.

"Alright, here's what I propose: we'll split up, take down one disciple each, and meet back at the tour center. Okay?" Dreamy Jewel proposed.

"Sounds good, Jewel. But there are two problems: one, we probably need Dreamy Luigi's aid, and two, there aren't enough of us to go in teams of two." Mario replied.

"If that's the case, then I'll just do this." Dreamy Luigi said before splitting himself up into four Luigis.

"Great idea, Dreamy Luigi!" Dreamy Jewel beamed. "Now we can all decide our own teams and a Dreamy Luigi will join up to aid us!"

The group began to decide their own teams and the pipes they'll go down.

"I and Ribbon Girl will head to the blue pipe, since it matches the color of our eyes." Rouge said as she, Ribbon Girl and the first Dreamy Luigi clone went down the blue pipe.

"I'll choose the white pipe." Kirby said as he and the second Dreamy Luigi clone went down the white pipe.

"We'll take the yellow one!" Baby Mario said as he, Baby Luigi and the third Dreamy Luigi clone went down the yellow pipe.

"That leaves the orange pipe to us!" Dreamy Jewel said as she, Mario, Sonic and the last Dreamy Luigi clone went down the orange pipe.

* * *

 _ **At the west side of Dreamy Wakeport…**_

Rouge, Ribbon Girl and Dreamy Luigi were wandering around, searching for one of the disciples.

"So, Ribbon Girl, tell me about your career!" Rouge grinned.

"You mean my career as a fighter or as a singer?" Ribbon Girl smirked.

"Both of them, of course!"

"I'm doing well on both. I was champion on the third ARMS tournament, and I'm looking forward on winning the sixth one. For my singing career, I had to sign a lot of autographs while wandering around the real world of Wakeport. All of my fans in the Mushroom World are really excited for my live show."

"Is that so? I'm also a fan of you too. I love listening to your songs. My favorite one is 'Hit the Ring'."

"Yeah, 'Hit the Ring' is considered one of my biggest hits."

Dreamy Luigi could only hear giggling coming from both girls.

" _Girly talk, I presume._ " He thought while rolling his eyes playfully.

After making use of the Luiginoid Formation throughout this part of the dream world, the trio eventually reached Sorrow Fist's house.

"This must be where Sorrow Fist lives." Ribbon Girl said before knocking on the door, and Sorrow Fist answered it.

"You found me…" he spoke saddened.

"Oh, you poor little thing…" Rouge frowned.

"WAIT UP!" the Shelltop Worker's voice came in before rushing to where they were. "Whuff… Whuff…" he pants heavily.

"What are you doing here?" Dreamy Luigi asked.

"Big Massif sent me…"

"We thought these battles needed a referee…" Sorrow Fist said somberly.

"Now it begins! Battle 1 of… THE BEEF-OFF! Your opponent is Sorrow Fist!"

"You want to spar with me? I'm not really that buff…"

The trio looked at each other awkwardly. Then, the Shelltop Worker's cellphone rings and he answers:

"Hello? Yes? Big Massif? Battle conditions versus the Hooraws, you say?"

"Battle conditions?" Ribbon Girl wondered.

"Win with stronger hits only! THAT is the extra spice added to the battle!" he turns off his cellphone. "Alright, when fighting Sorrow Fist, you must attack him with your strongest blows! All non-strong attack is forfeit and will heal your foe! …So says Big Massif."

"Snurffle… Wahh… I just wanna go home… I'm gonna lose anyway… I'm a super weakling…" Sorrow Fist sobbed. "It's pointless… I'll just lose… I stink at stuff… Bwaaaah…" he began to cry like a sad child.

"Hey, hey, hey! You don't have to cry like that!" Dreamy Luigi walked to Sorrow Fist. "If you believe in yourself, you won't feel like a weakling!"

"Believe in myself, you say?" Sorrow Fist stopped crying, but still had tears coming out. "Even somebody like me can get huge? I can rise to a challenge just like the other guys? If I put my mind to it, I can totally whale on you guys?"

"That's right. Never doubt in yourself. That's what I always do."

"Alright… If I defeat you guys, I'll totally get buffer! Come at me!"

With that, the trio stood in their fighting stances as the Shelltop Worker announced:

"Let battle number 1… BEGIN!"

Ribbon Girl quickly equips a Sparky in her left hand and a Slapamander in her right hand as Dreamy Luigi merges within her and Rouge. Sorrow Fist then charges for both girls by flailing his arms, but they jumped over him. Ribbon Girl charges her Slapamander and slaps Sorrow Fist with fire, with Rouge hurling heart grenades at him.

Sorrow fist next summons a large shell and knocks it at Ribbon Girl, but she punched it back at him with her uncharged Sparky. She then sends both her arms at Sorrow Fist, grabbing him and hurling him away. Before Sorrow Fist could even recover, Ribbon Girl aims her charged Sparky at him, stunning him.

"Screw Kick!" Rouge yelled as she does her Screw Kick at the stunned Sorrow Fist, with a line of Luiginoids coming from behind her and doing the same thing, doing extra damage.

"RIBBON!" Ribbon Girl yelled as a yellow aura surrounded her and does her Rush Attack at Sorrow Fist, repeatedly landing a flurry of lightning fast punches at him, with the Luiginoids also doing the same, but they were of course close to Sorrow Fist. After that, Sorrow Fist faced defeat on the ground, crying. Ribbon Girl retracts her arms into normal arms and rushes to him.

"Oh…I'm sorry about that! Are you okay? Did it hurt a lot?" she asked in concern as Dreamy Luigi came out of her and Rouge.

"Yeah… A bit…" Sorrow Fist groaned as he stood up. "My mind was totally blank while I was fighting… Felt good. Thanks…"

"Um, you're welcome…" Ribbon Girl replied. Sorrow Fist then disappears in a flash.

"VICTORS! ROUGE AND RIBBON GIRL!" the Shelltop Worker declared while raising a wine-colored flag with Rouge and Ribbon Girl's symbols.

Confetti rained down as a shiny golden medal descended slowly towards the girls. The first Hooraw Medal was won!

"Congrats! Well, see you later!" the Shelltop Worker left.

"Well, that's one Medal down, three more to go." Rouge said. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

 _ **At the south side of Dreamy Wakeport…**_

Kirby and Dreamy Luigi were wandering around, searching for the second disciple.

"Tell me, Kirby, how is everyone doing in Dream Land?" Dreamy Luigi started a conversation.

"Oh, they're doing fine! My friends Tiff and Tuff told Meta Knight to stay in charge of watching over Dream Land while I'm gone." Kirby replied. "Also, even he thought that I deserve to take a vacation!"

"Well, considering the fact that you told us you saved Planet Popstar from many invaders, this job sure would be tiring. Just like how my bro saved Princess Peach multiple times during his life."

The duo ended up encountering Li'l Massif in the dream world materialized from Luigi's subconscious and had to blow up a wall using a cannonball. On the other side was Beef Cloud's house. Kirby knocked on the door and Beef Cloud answered, looking sleepy as always.

"Mmm? Oh, you found me…" he spoke drowsily.

"HANG ON!" the Shelltop Worker came back. "I see you found Beef Cloud! Now it begins! Battle 2 of… THE BEEF-OFF! Your opponent is Beef Cloud!"

"Mmnam num… Zzz… Zrrbb…" Beef Cloud fell asleep.

"…Are you serious…?" Dreamy Luigi sweatdropped, while Kirby just tilted his head.

"In general, there will be special conditions in the Hooraw battles. In this round… No special conditions!" the Shelltop Worker spoke.

"Okay. This won't be that bad." Kirby shrugged.

"Here I go… Snrrggh…" Beef Cloud snaps awake. Kirby and Dreamy Luigi stood in their fighting stances…until Beef Cloud falls asleep on the ground. "Mmnn… Snrrk…"

"Gee, he's such a sleepyhead… This is going to be so easy." Dreamy Luigi said.

"Let battle number 2… BEGIN!" the Shelltop Worker announced.

Before the duo was able to attack Beef Cloud, they saw a healing aura coming from him.

"Mmnum snorrk… Sleep makes me…feel better! Before I recover… You've gotta attack… You will never, ever…be able to defeat… Zzzrrng…" he moaned in his sleep.

"Did he just heal?!" Kirby asked.

"Oh… Alright, Kirby, you have to attack him as fast as you can before he's able to heal more!" Dreamy Luigi told him before zooming into him.

Kirby attempts to do a series of punches at Beef Cloud, where multiple Luiginoids came out and did the same, but Beef Cloud was still healing.

"I guess weak attacks aren't enough…" Kirby thought out loud. "What if I… Aha!"

He spotted a Cocoknight nearby and used his inhale ability to suck it up, transforming into Spear Kirby. Spear Kirby executes a Spear Thrust followed by a Triple Throw, throwing three spears at once on Beef Cloud.

"Can't sleep…" Beef Cloud woke up.

This gave the opportunity for Spear Kirby to do a Multispear Attack, and multiple Luiginoids came out and did the same series of punches.

"Huh, HP almost down to half-full… Weird." Beef Cloud remarked before falling asleep again.

"Oh, heck no!" Spear Kirby growled and quickly did a Moon Drop at Beef Cloud before he was able to recover HP.

"Uh-oh… I seriously might get KO'd here. Yikes…" Beef Cloud gulped.

"About time! Finish him, Kirby!" Dreamy Luigi said from within Spear Kirby.

"Leave it to me!" Spear Kirby grinned.

With that, he finishes off Beef Cloud with his Spear Barrage attack.

"Just a dream… Zzznnk…" Beef Cloud dozed while lying on the ground before disappearing in a flash.

"VICTOR! LORD KIRBY!" the Shelltop Worker announced while raising a pink flag with Kirby's symbol, a yellow Warp Star. Kirby discards his copy ability as Dreamy Luigi zooms out of him.

Confetti rained down as another golden Medal descends towards Kirby. The second Hooraw Medal was won!

* * *

 _ **At the east side of Dreamy Wakeport…**_

Mario, Sonic, Dreamy Jewel and Dreamy Luigi were wandering around, searching for the third disciple.

"I wonder how everyone is doing…" Dreamy Luigi pondered.

"I'm sure they're fine, Dreamy Luigi. After all, two teams already obtained a Hooraw Medal!" Dreamy Jewel replied.

"That was another fourth wall break, right?" Sonic guessed.

"Yep."

"I knew it…" Sonic rolled his eyes.

"So, according to Jewel's…fourth wall breaking, that leaves us and the babies to obtain a Hooraw Medal." Mario informed.

"That's right." Dreamy Jewel nodded.

"Hmm? Guys! Look over there!" Dreamy Luigi saw something in the background.

There was a green clock that was similar to the one seen in the real world's clock tower in the background, except that it also had a golden pendulum.

"I sense this is a new Luiginary Work!" Dreamy Jewel beamed as Dreamy Luigi began to react with the clock.

Dreamy Luigi then zooms into the clock, and it now had his face in it.

"So… What does it do?" Sonic asked.

"Let me contact with Starlow." Dreamy Jewel takes out her Calling Moonstone. "Starlow!"

" _Yes, Jewel?"_ Starlow's voice came from the Moonstone.

"We've just stumbled upon a Luiginary Work and we need your help! Do you see something on Luigi's face?"

" _Well… His nose has a play button, his right mustache has a fast-forward button, and his left mustache has a slow-motion button."_

"…Like a remote controller? Hmm… Try pulling his right mustache!"

Starlow did as she was told, and suddenly, everything in the dream world began to play in fast-motion, including the group. With that, they were able to get past a conveyor belt moving in the opposite direction thanks to their super-fast speed. Dreamy Jewel then told Starlow to touch Luigi's nose, which was the play button, and as she did so, everything in the dream world played back in normal speed.

"Whoa! What was that?!" Sonic asked shocked.

"Oh! I see! When Starlow pulled the right side of Luigi's mustache, everything in the dream world plays in fast-motion!" Dreamy Jewel concluded. "Now this should be an interesting Luiginary Work!"

Then, they came upon a small row of spikes.

"I don't think a normal jump will be enough to get past these spikes." Mario stated.

"In that case…" Dreamy Jewel uses her Calling Moonstone again to call Starlow: "Starlow! Pull the left mustache!"

" _Alright!"_

Starlow pulls the left side of Luigi's mustache, and eventually, everything in the dream world plays in slow-motion this time. Because of that, the group's movements were much slower and their jumps were floatier, allowing them to jump over the spikes. Dreamy Jewel tells Starlow to reset the speed once again by touching Luigi's nose, and everything was playing in normal speed again.

"Wow! That was awesome!" Mario exclaimed.

"It now makes sense! When Starlow pulled the left side of Luigi's mustache, everything in the dream world plays in slow-motion!" Dreamy Jewel spoke. "Such a cool Luiginary Work! And speaking of which, I've already came with a name for it! I called it: Luiginary Speedometer! Let's use this power to get through the area!"

After using the Luiginary Speedometer to get through, they finally reached Heavy Zest's house. Dreamy Jewel knocks on the door politely, and Heavy Zest answers it and immediately jumps right out.

"Beef-Off! Beef-Off! BEEF-OFF!" Heavy Zest exclaimed excitedly. "GIMME A B! GIMME AN E! GIMME ANOTHER E! AN F! AN O! ANOTHER F! AND ANOTHER F!"

"You sure seemed pumped, dude." Sonic commented.

"WAIT UP!" the Shelltop Worker came in. "Looks like you found another disciple! Now it begins! Battle 3 of… THE BEEF-OFF! Your opponent is Heavy Zest!"

"YEAH! WOO!" Heavy Zest cheered.

"For this battle… Win with one turn each! THAT is the extra spice added to the battle! You each have only one attack turn. You must win the battle using only one turn each. And you must defeat all of the secondary foes as well! …So says Big Massif."

"We only have ONE turn each?!" Mario flinched.

"Gonna be FUN! Aw yeah! Battle time! B-B-B-BEEF-OFF!" Heavy Zest jumped around in excitement. "IT'S TIME FOR A BEEF-OOOOOOFF!" he jumped so high into the air that he even hit his head on the ceiling.

"Geez! Did he had too much sugar or something?" Sonic's eyes widened.

"B! E! E! F! O! F! F! Now! Let's DO it!"

"Let battle number 3… BEGIN!" the Shelltop Worker announced, and the group stood in the fighting stances.

After Dreamy Luigi zoomed into Mario and Sonic, Heavy Zest called out his Hooraws to surround him. He then charges after the trio by doing lightning fast slaps, but they jumped over him. Dreamy Jewel used her Energy Rock Crystal to shoot white energy blasts at Heavy Zest and his Hooraws. All of the Hooraws were defeated.

However, Heavy Zest called out more of them. The Hooraws run to the background as a Hermit Crab carrying a large coconut appears behind the trio. Heavy Zest charges for the trio, but they moved out of the way and Heavy Zest instead knocked the coconut towards the Hooraws, defeating some of them.

After Heavy Zest and his Hooraws came back, Sonic did a Homing Attack at Heavy Zest and bounced off of him to defeat the rest of the Hooraws one by one. At the last Hooraw, he does a Homing Kick to send it at Heavy Zest, leaving him dazed.

"Mario! It's your chance to finish him with a new Luiginary Attack!" Dreamy Jewel informed. "Do the same thing again like last time, but instead, shout 'Luiginary Stack!'"

Mario nodded and concentrated before shouting: "Luiginary Stack!"

Dreamy Luigi came out of Mario before he hurled him into the air. Dreamy Luigi explodes into a green light, forming into a compact group of Luiginoids that carries Mario towards more compact groups of Luiginoids en route to Heavy Zest. With well-timed jumps, the compact group of Luiginoids became a tall stack, and once they were close to Heavy Zest, they sprung up into the air to land on him, ending with all Luiginoids raining down on him and Mario doing one last stomp.

"KO by night, Hooraw's delight!" Heavy Zest said after standing back up, still being cheery despite his defeat. He then disappears in a flash.

"VICTORS! MARIO BROS AND TEAM SONIC!" the Shelltop Worker announced while raising a flag half red and half blue with Mario and Sonic's symbols.

Confetti rained down as another Hooraw Medal descends towards the group. The third Hooraw Medal was won! Just one more left!

* * *

 _ **At the southeast side of Dreamy Wakeport…**_

Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and Dreamy Luigi were wandering around, searching for the last disciple.

"You know, even though I and Luigi were supposed to come here for a vacation, I'm still enjoying this adventure!" Baby Mario exclaimed.

"I'm glad to hear that." Dreamy Luigi smiled.

"Dreamy older me, I'm loving the dream worlds! You have such a creative mind!" Baby Luigi hugged Dreamy Luigi's leg. "I'm already liking this adventure more than that dark one… That one was freaky."

"Yeah, but even that, it was still fun!" Baby Mario beamed. "Plus, if it wasn't for that previous adventure, we would never get the chance to meet our older selves! Right?"

"Oh yeah, right!"

They moved on, experiencing the Luiginary Speedometer to get past obstacles. Soon, they've arrived at Thunder Sass's house. Dreamy Luigi knocked on the door and Thunder Sass answers it, yelling:

"SASS TIME!"

This made the trio jump in startle.

"He seems so mad…" Baby Luigi remarked.

"HOLD UP!" the Shelltop Worker came back. "Well, here we go… Go, go, go, gooo! For better or worse, this is the last one! Now it begins! Battle 4 of… THE BEEF-OFF! Your opponent is Thunder Sass!"

"BRING IT!" Thunder Sass shouted gravely, raising his fists as if he's ready to fight.

"In this round… Win while only using counters! THAT is the extra spice added to the battle! You cannot attack during this battle. You must use your foe's attacks to damage him. And only healing items are allowed. …So says Big Massif."

"Attack with only counters?" Dreamy Luigi questioned.

"Oh… ***gulp*** " Baby Luigi gulped.

"Aw, I really wanted to unleash a shockwave attack at him…" Baby Mario pouted.

"LEMME AT 'EM!" Thunder Sass yelled. "But first…some cardio!" he does a mad dash around the area, running on the walls and the ceiling until he got back to lower ground. "HOORAWW!"

"Let battle number 4… BEGIN!" the Shelltop Worker announced.

Dreamy Luigi zooms into Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to give them a power boost as Thunder Sass calls out some Hooraws. Then, the Hooraws ran to the background and Thunder Sass charges straight to the babies with lightning fast punches, but they jumped over him, and Baby Mario was able to stomp him during the dodging, but not after Baby Luigi received a hit from Thunder Sass.

"Owch! That hurt a lot…" Baby Luigi groaned, with small tears coming out of his eyes.

"Hang on, younger me! Have one of the Super Mushrooms I and Mario bought!" Dreamy Luigi summons a Super Mushroom in front of Baby Luigi. He ate it and felt much better.

The Hooraws then split up in two groups, positioning between the babies. Thunder Sass comes out of nowhere and bounces across both Hooraw groups before launching himself at Baby Mario at high speed, but he managed to counter with his hammer thanks to his quick reflexes.

The Hooraws then split into four groups and the same attack from before happened, but this time, Thunder Sass launched himself towards Baby Luigi. The toddler managed to counter with his hammer, thus defeating Thunder Sass.

"BWAARF!" he groaned in defeat before disappearing in a flash. Dreamy Luigi then comes out of both babies.

"VICTORS! BABY MARIO BROS!" the Shelltop Worker announced while raising a red flag with Baby Mario and Baby Luigi's symbols, which were similar to their older selves' symbols, except the 'M' and 'L' were surrounded in bonnet frills.

Confetti rained down as the last Hooraw Medal descends towards the toddlers. At last, all Hooraw Medals were won!

* * *

 _ **One regroup later…**_

Everyone met back at the tour center, where the four Dreamy Luigis merged back into one before the Shelltop Worker welcomed:

"Welcome back!"

The group then showed the four Hooraw Medals as the Shelltop Worker continued:

"You defeated all the Hooraws!"

"Yep. Now, can we see Big Massif?" Mario asked.

The Shelltop Worker's cellphone rang, and he answered:

"Hello, tour center here! Nine challengers have bested the Hooraws!" he turns off the cellphone and reports: "Ah! Big Massif has just arrived! And so, without further ado… Heeere's Big Massif! BIG MASSIF!"

However, nobody showed up.

"Hey! Where is he?!" Sonic questioned.

"Bffffff… Snnnrk!" just then, the Shelltop Worker began to splutter.

"What's so funny?!"

"UH! UH! UH!" the Shelltop Worker laughed loudly.

"What… Explain this insolent laugher!" Dreambert demanded.

"Uh uh uh uh huh! Is…too funny!"

All of a sudden, the Shelltop Worker transformed into none other than Big Massif!

"WHAT?!" the group except Dreambert yelled in shock.

"YOU! You were Big Massif all along!" Dreambert flinched.

"Da! Is me! Is Big Massif!" Big Massif exclaimed. "Whole time is big disguise! Is perfect fake accent!"

"We have no time for games! You must wake immediately!" Sonic hollered.

"Yeah! We must climb Mount Pajamaja with all haste!" Ribbon Girl added.

"NYET!" Big Massif refused. "In dream world, I battle challengers of true beef… Is best way to pump up muscles and mind! Real world is weak! Big Massif stay here!"

"You can't just give up on the real world just because you want monstrous challenges!" Mario growled. "If that's what you want, then so it must be! We will take your challenge!"

"But be warned: we have come far and bested many trials!" Dreamy Jewel warned as everyone glared at Big Massif.

"Uh uh uh uh! Is plan all along!" Big Massif laughed. "You are little cutlets, but still beefiest challengers yet! Hooraws! Come! We show daily muscle routine!"

The four disciples show up on top of a red building in the background. A large stone fell on Sorrow Fist and Thunder Sass's hands.

"HUURGH!" Thunder Sass hurls his stone towards Big Massif, who smashes it with one fist.

"WHOA!" the group flinched.

"HYAH!" Sorrow Fist hurls his stone next, and Big Massif smashes it by doing a bicycle kick.

"Is beef, da?! Muscle smash!" Big Massif blurted. "Real muscle laughs at rocks!"

"Sweet smash, Master!" Heavy Zest appraised. Then, a HUGE stone fell and Heavy Zest, Sorrow Fist and Thunder Sass held it. "Master's so burly, he even laughs at THIS rock… He'll totally turn it to powder!"

However, Big Massif got a nervous look on his face as he was sweating hard; he wasn't sure he would be able to break something THAT huge.

"Right? Or is it too big, you think?" Heavy Zest asked.

"Is… Is… Is… Is cake!" Big Massif answered nervously, even if it was against his will. "Uh… Do it!"

With that, the three disciples hurled the huge stone towards Big Massif, who'll try to smash it with his head. Unfortunately, the stone didn't shatter, resulting in Big Massif hitting his head and paralyzing comically as if he hit his head on hard concrete…and the stone crushed him into the ground.

"Uh…is he dead?" Baby Mario asked quietly. The rest of the group just sweatdropped.

Then, Big Massif came out of the ground from behind the heroes.

"Nice one, master!" Heavy Zest complimented, even if it was a failure. "Master's totally gonna launch up and super surprise 'em! Dude just KNOWS how to put on a show!"

"Da… Was cake!" Big Massif exclaimed, trying to ignore the recent event. "Is good for muscle, flexing in dirt, da? Is rare technique! Da… Whole routine is planned, even last part!" no one in the group had the looks of 'I believe you'. "So now we go… Cutlets are ready?" he pulls out of the ground. "Is full-contact battle! Is tenderizing time! LET'S BEEF!"

After Dreamy Luigi merged within his seven friends, Big Massif started by performing the same attack that Heavy Zest did: the one where the Hermit Crab holding a coconut appeared behind the heroes. The same thing that happened earlier with the Heavy Zest battle happened, and Big Massif ended up knocking the coconut at his Hooraws.

Kirby inhales another Cocoknight, becoming Spear Kirby again, and throws three spears at Big Massif, followed up by Rouge's heart grenades. Big Massif called more Hooraws and now performs the same attack that Sorrow Fist did: he knocks a stone monument at the heroes, but Mario, Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi combined their strength to hammer the monument back at Big Massif.

The babies then did the hammer shockwave attack at Big Massif, followed up by Sonic's Stomp, and a line of Luiginoids appeared above him and stomped together to give more attack boost.

Big Massif then does the attack Thunder Sass did: a group of four Hooraws formed around the heroes, and Big Massif bounces around from each group before launching himself at high speed. Ribbon Girl was able to counter the attack with her charged Sparky on her left hand, knocking Big Massif back while stunned, giving her the chance to blow all of his Hooraws away and damage him with her charged Popper in her right hand.

Big Massif becomes enraged and charges for them while doing lightning fast punches, but they avoided him by jumping over. Dreamy Jewel uses her Lightning Topaz to shoot electric sparks at Big Massif, stunning him even more.

"Use a new Luiginary Attack to finish this beefy guy, Mario!" Dreamy Jewel told him. "Concentrate and shout 'Luiginary Hammer!'"

"Right!" Mario nodded and did as he was told. "Luiginary Hammer!"

Dreamy Luigi comes out of Mario and he hurls him into the air. Dreamy Luigi explodes in a green flash, splitting into multiple Luiginoids. Mario held his hammer above his head as the Luiginoids began to jump on it. As more and more Luiginoids hopped on the hammer, it starts to become heavier and Mario had to balance it to prevent it for tumbling down. After enough Luiginoids were picked up, they all formed into a huge hammer. Mario dashes towards Big Massif and smashes him with the Luiginoid hammer in full force. With that, Big Massif faced defeat on the ground.

"They trashed the master… Who ARE these guys?!" Heavy Zest didn't believe that Big Massif was beaten. "Let's bolt!" the four disciples scurried off.

"Pafff… Heefff… I… I…am loser?" Big Massif gagged. "Is crazy… Little cutlets hide huge muscles…"

"Well, I hope you get it now." Dreamy Jewel said. "Nevertheless, the real world boasts many champions as well!"

"Uhh… Is crushing… I go to real world! I rethink training!"

"You will? Great!"

"Oh, before I forget… Here's somethin'." Big Massif offers them a nightmare chunk. "I found it somewhere in dream world. Cutlets can have it. Beef seeing you! One day, we have rematch, da? I leave! Dream world!" he disappears in a flash.

"Hmm… I sense these events will make Big Massif wake." Dreambert stated.

"Let's break this nightmare chunk. The Chaos Emerald might be in here and we'll be able to free Rouge." Sonic spoke up.

The group then shatters the nightmare chunk, and a Dreamy Cyan Chaos Emerald was revealed. Sonic picks it up, and it glowed brightly, enveloping everything in a white light. The petrified Emerald at the real world began to wiggle and release colorful sparkles.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **The fight with the disciples were okay, but I actually died three times at the battle against Heavy Zest on my first time playing.  
**

 **Finally the heroes will head to Mount Pajamaja! See you on the next chapter! Please review.**


	13. The Law of Pajamaja

**Finally done with this chapter!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: The Law of Pajamaja**

The heroes were back at the real world, where they watched the petrified Chaos Emerald float up and release Rouge before regaining its cyan color.

"Hmm, I did miss the fresh air in the real world, so I am glad I'm free." Rouge spoke.

"And another Emerald is free from nightmare!" Sonic picks up the Cyan Chaos Emerald. "Now just two more remaining."

"Nngh…" they heard Big Massif's groan. "Uh! Is too strong! HRRGH!" he stood up awake.

"You did it, guys!" Starlow exclaimed.

"Uhhh, huhhh, hahhhhh… Is crazy nightmare! Is just bad dream… Da, just dream… Big Massif not lose like that! JUST BAD DREAM!"

"Oh, truly? Are you sure, Big Massif?" Ribbon Girl questioned sarcastically.

"UH!" Big Massif flinched and turned around to see the heroes. "Is like dream… Cutlets from dream! Is enough to make brain melt like fondue… But is no big deal… So what are little shrimps doing here?"

"It's time to work! You're our tour guide!" Starlow warned.

Big Massif went silent for a while, until…

"OVERSLEEP!" he yelled in panic, turning into a stone statue.

"…Basically, everyone's reaction when he or she is late for work…" Jewel commented while sweatdropping.

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

Rouge decided to hang around Wakeport to do some shopping. Meanwhile, the Massif Bros, Li'l and Big Massif, were standing in front of the heroes alongside Knuckles at the clock tower.

"Large bro returned. Is late but not never!" Li'l Massif said. "So now is time for Mount Pajamaja tour!"

"Da!" Big Massif nodded. "Is shameful, the oversleeping and tour lateness! Is bad. Is amend-making time… I must do rare tour to… BEEF! BEEFIER! BEEFIEST! ULTRABEEF ASCENT!"

"Uh… Ultrabeef ascent, da? Large bro takes it to limit!"

"Da! Is time to start tour! Is time to flex muscles! Ultrabeef ascent starts with warm-up for legs! We sprint to trailhead like spicy hot links!"

The two Massif Bros then jump on the fountain's ledge and take a flexing pose while speaking in their macho tones:

"PAJAMAJA! BEEEEF!"

With that, they guided the group all the way to the north of Pi'illo Castle to reach Mount Pajamaja.

* * *

Mount Pajamaja is the only tallest mountain located at the northern part of the island. The mountain as a whole was half fire, at the bottom, and half snow, at the top. The fiery part was mostly rocks and tall stone monuments were present outside the mountain, some of the rocks in this landscape depicted Hooski statues and faces, and minerals, plus some iron platforms and wooden bridges, but there was also a little bit of plant life too. The name 'Pajamaja' is a pun on 'pajama'.

"Whoa…" Luigi breathed in amazement as he and the others looked high up to notice that the mountain reached also a portion of the clouds.

"Wow, I knew the mountain was big, but I didn't think it'd be THAT big!" Knuckles exclaimed. "I'm so pumped up to climb all of that!"

"At last, we're finally climbing Mount Pajamaja!" Starlow exclaimed.

"The Dream Stone must be somewhere around here." Jewel stated. "Let's tag along with those two guys ahead, and keep our eyes open!"

They group walked towards the Massif Bros to start their climbing tour.

"Is climbing tour!" Big Massif announced.

"You climb hard. Hard like muscle." Li'l Massif said.

"You are tender cutlets. But climbing make strong!"

"When we reach top, tender cutlets are:"

"BEEF!" Big Massif took a flexing pose and speaking in a macho way.

"STEAK!" Li'l Massif did the same.

"HUGE!"

"HAMS!" both brothers yelled in unison.

"We've made a massive mistake…" Starlow sweatdropped.

"Was that a pun? Because I don't approve it." Sonic sassed while crossing his arms.

"Strong arms are strong like rock." Li'l Massif spoke.

The Massif Bros then push a hard rock all the way to the left, allowing them and the group to climb further.

"Come!" Big Massif directs to a closed gate up ahead with two fist-like doors. "Gate is famous spot on mountain. Is Mighty Gate! You are big muscles if you can open!"

"Even Massifs not muscles enough." Li'l Massif spoke.

"Someday, we are muscles enough!"

"And then we are climbing to top!"

"We go!"

The group stared at the door for a moment before following the Massif Bros.

"You know, I'm pretty sure we'll be able to open that gate somehow. Did you see that there were two large petrified Pi'illos on both sides?" Jewel remarked.

"We did. Probably these two Pi'illos might open that gate for us." Mario stated. "But for now on, let's just follow those Massif guys."

They continued onwards, until they reached an area filled with lava, making Mario, Luigi, Sonic and the babies remind of Thwomp Volcano all over again. The Massif Bros taught Mario and Luigi the Spin Jump technique to get across the gaps the area has.

However, as they continued on, the group lost track of the Massif Bros and ended up back at the area where the closed gate was, except they were standing above a ledge to the right.

"Huh? Strange… Where did those Meathead Bros go?" Starlow asked.

"I think we lost them." Kirby guessed.

"Great… Just great." Sonic muttered.

"Hm? Hey, look!" Dreambert pointed to the giant petrified Pi'illo next to them. "It's another one of the Pi'illo folk!"

"That Pi'illo, uh…really let himself go." Starlow commented.

"Nonsense, that's simply a Mega Pi'illo!"

"That must be the Pi'illo we just saw earlier!" Jewel remarked. She points to another one to the left side. "See? There's another one over there!"

"Alright, but this Pi'illo is so huge! How am I supposed to rest my head on that?" Luigi asked, surprised about the size of this pillow.

"Don't worry; just rest your head on the bottom of the pillow. It will work the same way." Dreambert answered.

Luigi then rests his head on the bottom part of the Pi'illo, and the portal showed up. Jewel rests her head on her Magical Pillow before Mario and co. dove into the portal.

* * *

Dreamy Mount Pajamaja had the same rocky feature the bottom had, but there were parts that resemble the snowy part; perfect example would be the falling snow. Besides that, the dream world had the same walls, same rocks, same plant life, and the same rocky Hooski statues and faces, but the latter were mostly present in the background floating in the air along with the tall stone monuments. The obstacles were the same wooden bridges and the iron platforms seen at the real world.

The group emerged out of the portal, and met up with Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel.

"I'm sensing three nightmare chunks this time in here." Dreambert stated.

"Why is it snowing in the dream world?" Baby Mario wondered.

"That's because the very top of the mountain is snowy." Dreamy Jewel answered. "So I think the dream world is combining both parts of the mount at the same time."

"Well, at least it's not cold in here." Baby Luigi said.

The group went on, and once they were standing on top of the stack of Luigis from the Luiginoid Formation, Dreamy Jewel ponders:

"Hmm… I wonder if you can change into other shapes too, Dreamy Luigi?"

Then, the Luiginoids formed into an upside-down cone. There was a large gap with spikes up ahead. The Luiginoids spun around like a top and hovered over the spikes. This was the Luiginary Typhoon technique.

They used the typhoon technique to clear more gaps of spikes and finally did a Spring Jump to shatter all three nightmare chunks at once.

* * *

They were back at the real world, and after Luigi and Jewel woke up, the large pillow transformed into the Mega Pi'illo.

"UNNNNHHH!" he grunted in a deep voice. "I'm back! Thanks for the rescue!"

"Your thanks can wait, friend." Dreambert spoke up.

"Yeah, we need your help." Jewel added.

"Prince Dreambert! Princess Jewel! Your highnesses! It is an honor!" the Mega Pi'illo bowed.

"How do you open that Mighty Gate?" Knuckles asked, pointing to the gate.

"You're in luck, sir. Opening the Mighty Gate is my job."

"What? Your job? Are you serious?!"

"I am, sir. But, uhhh… I can't open it by myself… It takes two Mega Pi'illos to open it."

"Another Mega Pi'illo…" Kirby pondered. That is, until he spotted the other Mega Pi'illo who was still petrified at the other side. "That must be the other big guy we saw!"

"I sense you are correct." Dreambert nodded.

"Little butter patties. You follow slow." The group heard Big Massif's voice from below at the left side. "I thought you fall down mountain! You must beef up. You must follow. If you are getting lost…"

"FOLLOW BEEF!" both brothers yelled in unison while doing a flexing pose and speaking in their macho tone.

"Large bro, your muscles. They are ripped ham!" Li'l Massif said.

"Small bro, you are cut like stony bologna." Big Massif replied before they both left.

The group sweatdropped before Ribbon Girl broke the silence:

"…Do they realize they're speed demons?"

"That's really odd, because they're not THAT fast as I am." Sonic replied, shaking his head.

"We always keep losing them, Sonic." Mario pointed out. "What's your point?"

"Right…"

The group hurried to catch up with the meatheads. After freeing more Pink and Blue Pi'illos in their way, they had to fly up using tornadoes to gain impulse in order to reach where the Massif Bros were waiting next to a cliff.

"Now is best part of tour!" Big Massif exclaimed as he and Li'l Massif faced the cliff. "Time to test courage! ON CLIFF!"

"WHAT?!" the group flinched.

"ARE YOU NUTS?!" Luigi's eyes widened in shock as he shakes in fear.

"How is it, large bro? You have fear sweat." Li'l Massif said. "But if inner beef is strong, is no problem! Da, large bro?!"

"Da, small bro!" Big Massif replied. "Small bro will show true muscle now, tender cutlets. Watch with eyes!"

"Uh… Is right of large bro to take glorious first plunge, da?"

"Da…or maybe cutlets should jump and we strap to back like bacon wrap?"

"Large bro lacks beef. Large bro is side salad."

"Side salad?!" Big Massif's eye twitched. "I show you side salad!" he runs toward the cliff. "CANNONBEEF!" he yelled while jumping off.

"…Did he really just…" Starlow froze.

"Whoa…" Li'l Massif breathed as he stands next to the edge. "LARGE BROOO!" he jumps off as well.

"Oh boy…" Mario sighed.

"D-Do we really have to…?" Luigi stuttered.

"We have." Sonic said, doing a nod.

" ***gulp*** it's a long way down…" Baby Luigi gulped in fear as he slowly looked down from the cliff.

"Well… How about we all jump out together?" Jewel suggested, even though she was also somewhat scared.

The rest of the group nodded slowly. Then, they all gathered as close as they could and positioned close to the edge.

"Okay, here we go…" Sonic spoke up. "In three…two…one… GERONIMOOOO!" everyone jumped off the edge.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAA!" they all screamed as they were falling.

 ***THUD!***

Everyone landed on the ground hard.

"Ow…" Knuckles groaned.

"I think I broke a rib…" Luigi groaned.

"Now I know what that Shelltop meant by big, bad, brutal mountain tour…" Jewel groaned.

"YOU SURVIVE!" Big Massif's voice came. "You are having big muscle."

"…You think?" Mario replied, not amused.

The Massif Bros leave, not seem fazed by the hard landing, until…

"Large bro, my legs have large pain…" Li'l Massif whispered, feeling pain on his legs.

"Shhh!" Big Massif shushed, even though he was also feeling pain. "Salty tears tenderize true beef!"

After Jewel healed everyone with her Healing Garnet, they ended up losing sight of the Massif Bros again. That is, until they came upon the other Mega Pi'illo. With that, Luigi falls asleep on the pillow, followed up by Jewel sleeping on her Magical Pillow and ending up with Mario and his crew diving into the portal.

* * *

Back inside the dream world, after meeting up with the Dreamy pair, they went onward…until a fist-like wall slammed down on the ground right in front of them.

"Great, now how do we get past that?" Sonic questioned.

"Step aside!" Knuckles shoved Sonic out of his way. "I know exactly what to do!" he cracks his knuckles.

"Are you seriously going to do what I'm thinking right now?! Where did you came up with THAT, knucklehead?!"

"What? This is Luigi's dreams, dude! Anything can happen!"

Knuckles then does his strongest punch at the wall…only for him to paralyze in cartoony style as a tear escaped his eye, and of course…

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!" he yelled in pain.

"Knucklehead, just because this is Luigi's dreams doesn't mean all real world logics can be broken." Sonic rolled his eyes. "Hope you learned your lesson."

"Shut…up…" Knuckles groaned, holding on to his broken fist.

 _ **A while later…**_

After the group managed to make the wall rise up again by hitting blocks in order, Jewel healed Knuckles's fist with her Healing Garnet.

"Alright, Knuckles, don't try to do anything harsh with your fist, because I used most of my Healing Garnet's energy while healing all of us back when we dropped down." Jewel told.

Knuckles did a small nod. He then saw Kirby and the babies walking over to him.

"We're sorry your hand broke." Kirby smiled.

Knuckles couldn't help but smile back.

After finding the nightmare chunk and breaking it, the group returned to the real world, and the pillow turns into the other Mega Pi'illo.

"HURRF! Oh boy… Good! I'm alive again! Thank you so much for saving me!" he thanked.

"Great! We've revived both Mega Pi'illos!" Dreambert exclaimed.

The two Mega Pi'illos did some sort of dance ritual before smashing the gate's doors with a single ground pound.

"Oh, so I guess they do not open it… They just completely trash it… OK." Dreambert spoke awkwardly.

"Someone opens gate?" Li'l Massif's voice came. "Gate that laughed at Massif muscles?"

"You must be… MUSCLE LORDS?!" Big Massif's eyes widened as he and Li'l Massif looked at the Mega Pi'illos. "Muscle Lords of Beef! Is life's goal to meet you!"

"Muscle Lords! Is great honor! Is like meaty dream!"

"…Excuse me?" the Mega Pi'illo on the left stuttered.

"Look, we're not-…" the other Mega Pi'illo started.

* * *

 _ **Several awkward moments later…**_

"Ahem!" Big Massif cleaned his throat. "Gate is open, da, so we extend tour!"

"Is unknown past here! No one knows land!" Li'l Massif informed. "Tour now separates meat from potatoes!"

"Da, we go! You follow!"

Up ahead, the Massif Bros taught Mario and Luigi a brand new technique: the Side Drill move, allowing them to spin horizontally through nearby objects or crevices. With that, they were approaching the coldest part of the Mount: the snowy part.

"Okay, is it me, or is the air thinning?" Knuckles questioned.

"Yep, we've reached the highest part of Mount Pajamaja, which is of course, ice and snow." Jewel said.

"It's quite cold up here…" Ribbon Girl spoke while shivering a bit.

"That just now… Was crazy!" they heard Big Massif's voice from the right side.

"Da, is true… Such crazy…" Li'l Massif replied.

"What are they talking about?" Starlow tilted her head.

"Uh! Cutlets! Is finally here!" Big Massif turned to them.

"You see there? Fountain, da?" Li'l Massif asked.

The group caught glimpse of a strange-looking fountain spraying colorful pink water right at their front. Li'l Massif continued:

"…Is amazing."

"Da, is really! You try drinking!" Big Massif said. "Da, but drink at own risk! Is crazy, what happens!"

"Uh uh uhhhhhh…"

"Uh uh uh!"

The Massif Bros leave.

"Soooo… What do you think? Should we try drinking it?" Luigi asked in an awkwardly tone.

"You know, I'm kinda parched. I wouldn't mind drinking this." Mario shrugged.

"Umm… I wouldn't drink that if I were you…" Jewel reminded.

"Let's just have the Mario Bros taste it, then." Sonic said.

With that, Mario and Luigi walked close to the fountain, ready to take a sip of it.

* * *

 _The fresh, sweet taste and lovely scent of the water courses through Mario's and Luigi's bodies, plunging them into a deep sleep. In time, a pleasant smell wafts into their noses and pulls them from their deep slumber._

 _Lured by the wonderful scent, Mario and Luigi press forward. Their bodies feel oddly light. Their legs flex into the earth. Their mustaches flutter like gossamer in the mountain breeze. The smell grows stronger. They travel for great leagues… Or do they barely travel at all? Soon they find the smell's source._

 _They find endless mushrooms. An unimaginable mound of mushrooms. MUSHROOMS! Mario jumps onto the mushroom pile… Luigi leaps onto the mushroom pile… They chew and inhale mushrooms… They devour as many as they can, their banquet interrupted by no one._

 _They know not how much they ate. A white cloud appears beside Mario. His gloves caress the atmosphere. His soaking boots absorb the sea. Hills shrink… No! The bros are huge! They have grown as big as the island! Thousands of times bigger than life! A finger flick could smash Bowser! There is nothing for them to fear. In this moment, they are ecstatic._

 _Soon after that, they realize they cannot go back to normal…_

* * *

Mario and Luigi were freaking out in their sleep, yelling in despair… and in the midst of despair…

"MARIO! LUIGI! WAKE UP! NOW!" Dreambert yelled in their ears.

"AAAAH!" they woke up in a startle.

"HUH?! WHO?! WHAT?! WHERE?!" Luigi yelled, shifting his head to left and right rapidly.

"What happened?!" Mario asked.

"You guys looked like you were just having nightmares or something!" Sonic answered.

"Are you okay?" Jewel asked in concern.

"We're fine…" Mario replied, feeling a bit woozy.

"Is that fountain the one who did that to them?" Ribbon Girl guessed.

"Correct." Dreambert nodded. "That fountain is known as the Dream Mist. Drinking from it restores health, but also makes one dream."

"Well, you guys seem OK. Let's keep moving!" Starlow said.

Everyone nodded and went on.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **That part with the fountain never gets old! I actually laughed the first time this happened to me.  
**

 **The heroes are getting further into the mountain! See you in the next chapter! Please review.**


	14. Lofty Mount Pajamaja

**Next chapter finally done!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Lofty Mount Pajamaja**

At the tallest part of Mount Pajamaja, a cold winter breeze blew across the mountain. The heroes caught up with the Massif Bros up ahead.

"Scenery changing, da? Is reward for high climb!" Big Massif said.

"Da. Good reward. Is cold on muscle." Li'l Massif replied.

"Is strong climb, to climb so high! If Massifs climb more… Soon we laugh at mountain from top!"

"We must reach peak! Is meaty task, but da!"

"No way to know what waits in climb ahead! We must flex together! Da! All one muscle!"

"We must…" Li'l Massif takes his flexing pose. "FLEX!"

"HARD!" Big Massif did the same.

"GET!"

"HUGE!"

"TOGETHER!" they yelled at the same time.

"Is all the pumping up really necessary?" Sonic asked.

"Come! We go!" Li'l Massif said before he and Big Massif walked off.

"Too bad we haven't found the Dream Stone yet…" Starlow remarked.

"I'm pretty sure it's at the peak, and we still have a long climb to do." Jewel stated. "Since we reached the snowy area, we're probably getting close."

The group climbed a bit more, and reached another part with two more petrified Mega Pi'illos. They revived both of them, allowing them to perform their ritual and smash another gate.

"…Were the other Mega Pi'illos this odd?" Dreambert wondered.

"Is…unbeefable!" Li'l Massif exclaimed in amazement.

"They return…" Big Massif blinked.

"The Muscle Lords!" both brothers said in unison.

"These guys won't ever learn, huh?" Ribbon Girl sighed as the rest of the group sweatdropped.

* * *

 _ **Even MORE awkward moments later…**_

"Da." Big Massif started.

"Is time." Li'l Massif added.

"We will reach summit!" both finished.

"Is incredible time to be strong and fully beefed… Looking forward makes muscles shake…" Big Massif stated.

"Da, is exciting! And so we say…"

"BEEF!"

"FOR!"

"TWO!"

"BEEF STEW!"

"What." That was all Starlow could say.

"We go! To mountaintop!" Big Massif finished as they all went forward.

* * *

Up ahead, there was a sleeping mammoth-like creature made out of bricks. The group cautiously approach it.

"W-Wait!" Big Massif called out. "Is bad to get so close!"

"Is Mammoshka, guardian of mountain. Da, must be." Li'l Massif told. "I thought it was fairy tale, like legendary bacon storm…"

"Perhaps it is perfect final test for climbing tour…"

"Da, should be easy as meatloaf… Muscles laugh at Mammoshka…"

"Da, but remember, we have tender cutlets on tour. We keep them safe, da? Is right thing to do." Then, Big Massif and Li'l Massif began to sneak past Mammoshka slowly. "Slow…"

"Slow, da…" they were approaching the exit as Li'l Massif whispers: "Ah! No jostle!"

"Move beef!" Big Massif whispered back. Soon, they were able to sneak past with no problems. "Uh uh uh! See? Is good. Sometimes strongest muscle is muscle that avoids fight."

" _Seems legit._ " Jewel thought.

"Cutlets! Come! Slow! Quiet!" Li'l Massif called out.

"Um, okay." Mario replied. "Remember, everyone. We gotta move slowly…"

The rest of the group nodded. They then began to silently tiptoe, being careful to not make a noise on the snow…until Luigi's nose started to tickle.

" _Uh oh…_ " he thought as he tried to hold it in, but no use. "A… A… A…!" luckily, Baby Luigi held his nose for him just in time. "Ah…thanks, me." He thanked as his younger self smiled. Buuuut… "ACHOOO!" he sneezed.

Everyone immediately froze, including the Massif Bros who became stone statues, and hoped that Mammoshka wouldn't wake up. Unfortunately, it did, and it wasn't happy at all as it glared at the heroes while the Massif Bros ran away in panic at the back.

"AH GEEZ!" Luigi panicked. The rest of the gang glared at Mammoshka while standing in their fighting stances.

" _God dammit, Luigi…_ " Knuckles thought, glaring at Luigi.

 ***ROOOOAAAR!***

Mammoshka roared loudly.

"Alright, let's take this beast down!" Knuckles said, cracking his knuckles. "I am lucky that my fist is feeling better!"

Mammoshka proceeds to ram into them, but they quickly avoided it. Mammoshka came back with three Block Monolifts carrying different helmets encased in ice with them. Kirby quickly inhales the ice above the Block Monolifts, transforming into Ice Kirby. Ice Kirby does an Ice Breath at the three Block Monolifts, turning them into ice cubes. This gave an opportunity for Sonic to Home Kick them at Mammoshka.

"That was a nice trick!" Ice Kirby exclaimed.

"You're welcome!" Sonic replied.

Mammoshka then summons a large rolling snowball and sends it at the heroes, but Ribbon Girl knocked it back with a gust of wind from her Popper in her left hand, only for Mammoshka to hit it back.

"What?!" Ribbon Girl wasn't expecting that.

"To hell with this snowball!" Knuckles growled and punched the snowball to destroy it. Mammoshka runs to the background part to plan something.

"Hmm, let's try attacking it with fire! If this creature is an ice dweller, maybe fire is its weakness!" Jewel suggested as she takes out her Fire Opal. Baby Mario was about to absorb the Fire Flower, until…

"INCOMING!" Mario yelled as he saw Mammoshka hurling a HUGE stone block at both the baby and adult Mario Brothers.

"Quick! Hammer time!" Baby Mario called out as he puts away the Fire Flower and instead brought out his hammer as well as Mario, Luigi and Baby Luigi.

With precise timing, the four brothers hammered the stone block multiple times until they managed to send it flying back at Mammoshka. Angered, Mammoshka starts to chase after the quartet this time all the way down the mountain, and as the four brothers run away from Mammoshka, it tries to suck one of them into its trunk. Luckily, the brothers jumped over the gusts to avoid being sucked in.

Once the chase ended, Jewel quickly uses her Fire Opal to send out a flamethrower at Mammoshka, followed up by the babies' Fire Flower Bros Attack and Ribbon Girl's charged Slapamander she had in her right hand. After all these attacks, some parts of Mammoshka's body began to crumble.

"I think an explosion might finish it off…" Jewel pondered, until she got an idea: "That's it! Mario! Luigi! Here's an item that I made!" she pulls out a pink bomb with yellow star patterns and tosses it to Mario.

"What is this?" he wondered.

"Just shout 'Bomb Derby!' and you'll see!"

"Okay…" he lifts the bomb in the air. "Bomb Derby!"

Mario chucks the bomb into the sky, and it magically converts into twelve of these bombs, falling all on Luigi's hands on a stack.

"What the… AH! Oh crap! Oh crap! OH CRAP!" Luigi panicked, tossing the bombs rapidly to Mario, who hammers them away at Mammoshka.

The attack ends with a large bomb, which was the last one on the stack, which Luigi tossed to Mario and once he hammered it at Mammoshka, a huge explosion happened. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing but broken bricks on the snow, suggesting that Mammoshka crumbled entirely by that bomb explosion.

But when it seemed that it was over, Mammoshka came back, but looking smaller than before and its armor was light blue. Turns out that the Mario Bros destroyed its main shell, and now Mammoshka started to run away from the heroes, but Mario and Luigi chased it down and did a series of stomps at its weak spot, the large bump on its head, causing Mammoshka to get smaller and smaller as the stomping goes by. Once its true form was revealed, the brothers did one last stomp, and Mammoshka was finally defeated.

"Wow, that was hairy…" Knuckles commented. "Not exactly what I had in mind about its true form…"

"Anyways, we must be pretty close to the Dream Stone!" Starlow exclaimed. "All right, let's go!"

They went up ahead, where they met with the Massif Bros again. They were having a conversation:

"…Is not just me, da? You saw this too, da?" Big Massif asked.

"Da." Li'l Massif nodded. "Guys up there… Evil looking, da?"

"Da, da, was very bad guys… Like wicked meat pies…"

"Is…time to give up? Forget reaching top?"

"Small bro! We have reached top already!"

"What… Da! We reach top!"

"UH UH UH! UH! We laugh at summit!" both laughed.

"So… I guess the tour is over, then." Knuckles shrugged. "Well, I had fun with you, guys."

"Wait, you're not coming along, Knuckles?" Sonic asked.

"I make my own decisions, Sonic. I think I'll stay here a little bit before going back to Pi'illo Castle. Good luck to you all!" Knuckles starts to walk. " _And I hope you guys find the Chaos Emerald that I dropped…_ "

"…Bad guys, huh? That sounds like Bowser and Antasma." Mario confirmed.

"Indeed!" Dreambert threw in. "Hurry! They're just up ahead!"

The group nodded and hurried over.

* * *

 _ **At the very peak…**_

The very peak of the mountain was lava, for some reason. Bowser, Antasma, Kamek and the Elite Trio gathered close to the Dream Stone. There were large purple speakers behind them as well.

"At last… SCREEP!" Antasma screeched. "I vill use the Dream Stone to realize my dreams… SCREEK! But first… SCREENK! SCREET! SCREE-EE-EEF!" with that, Antasma was surrounded in a white light, and in a purple smoke, he transformed into his true self, keeping the same face, but he was now wearing a cape with a bow tie and his claws were present.

"Whoa! Buddy, what happened to you?!" Bowser asked, surprised by Antasma's new look. "Is that what you normally look like?!"

"Yesss… Now that I am back in this vorld… I can return to my true form… SCREECH!"

"Heh! Not too bad! You look pretty evil!"

"Bowser… All that has come to pass is due to our meeting… SCREEP! Und vee even got the Dream Stone in our claws! SCREEEKEEEE! Vee should use the Dream Stone…right NOW! SCREEPEEE!"

"OK… How do we do that?"

"SCREEF! Vee must gather some energy for it first… Vith collected energy, it vill grant us anything vee vant!"

"Anything I want, huh? I can get behind that! What's on your wish list? Losing that screechy tic?"

"SCREECH! I vish… TO CONQUER THE VORLD!"

"Hold up. What? Buddy, you'd better wish again! I already claimed the world!"

"SCREEP! Perhaps I misspoke… I vill give you the vorld. All I vish for is the freedom to spread my vings. I vish to do anything I want. Und then, I vill be happy."

"Hm… OK by me! BWAHAHAHA! So we're square! Let's do it! We'll take over the world together!"

"Your Dreaminess!" Kamek interfered. "We stand ready to make that wish come true, sire."

"Good. In that case, let's get a mo—…"

"Hold it RIGHT there, Bowser!" Bowser was interrupted when Mario's voice came in. He arrived along with his crew, glaring at the villains.

"Mario! And the green stache! And you also brought some company with you that I don't care about!" Bowser hissed. "How'd you know we were here?!"

"It doesn't take a genius to anticipate your moves!" Sonic growled. "Now give us back the Dream Stone!"

"Antasma! It is an age since we faced off!" Dreambert glared at Antasma. "I know not how you contrived to come back to this world… But you shall not stay long! I will return you to the dream world!"

"SCREEEEMBERT! You! Meddling vith me again…" Antasma growled back. He turned to Bowser. "Vee haff no time to play vith these creatures… Vee must collect energy for the Dream Stone…"

"Hey, bozos! Listen to THIS!" Private Goomp spoke up as he presses on a button, but not before Bowser covers his ears.

Just then, an Egyptian-like music began to play through the speakers.

"What the…?" Sonic blinked as the heroes took a step back.

"All…things… MUST SLEEP!" Antasma yelled.

"What… What's that?! What's that music?!" Starlow asked.

"Could those be…the Dreambeats?!" Dreambert exclaimed shocked.

"You are correct… The Dreambeats!" Antasma said. "All who hear these beats vill fall asleep like rocks…"

In an instant, the Elite Trio began to feel drowsy.

"Ah… Sergeant Guy…reporting…for sleep…" Sergeant Guy groaned.

"Shouldn't be…so sleepy… I slept…a ton today…" Corporal Paraplonk mumbled before he and Sergeant Guy fell asleep.

"King Bowser… Have…a…good…night…" Private Goomp moaned before he also fell asleep, along with Kamek.

"Doesn't seem to affect me at all…" Starlow pondered.

But the same cannot be said for Mario and his crew, who are now barely able to keep themselves awake once the Dreambeats reached into their ears.

"Wait, whoa! You guys are totally passing out!" Starlow's eyes widened. "You can't sleep now! Wake up! WAKE UP!" she smacked them to try to wake them up. They were able to wake up, except for Luigi, who was nearly drifting off to sleep.

"The Dreambeats have no effect on you or me… But for normal creatures, the music is irresistible…" Dreambert stated. The group who woke up tried to fight against their sleep, but no success; they ended up getting drowsy again. "Things have gone ill! We are in danger! We must retreat from this place!"

"But the Dream Stone!"

"It cannot be helped. I could handle Antasma… But if Mario and his friends fall asleep, I cannot stop Bowser!"

"Understood! Let's bail! Everyone! Wake up NOW!"

The same ones who woke up previously snapped awake again and started to flee, with Luigi, who was still dozing off, followed behind as if he was sleepwalking.

"Gahahaha! Look at 'em go! RUNNING WON'T SAVE YOU!" Bowser teased.

The heroes stopped at an iron ramp, where the dozing Luigi ended up tripping and rolling down the ramps, causing the rest of the group to freak out.

"Oh no no no no no no NO!" Mario panicked as he and the others chased after the rolling Luigi as he started to bounce off any walls in his way.

Soon, Luigi immediately fell asleep on the snowy ground.

"Man, who knew Luigi was such a…pain…to…wake up…" Sonic spoke, but he ended up groaning at the last sentence when the sleep was starting to take over him. The same went for the others.

"Wake up, Luigi! Wake up!" Starlow called out, but Luigi wouldn't wake up.

"I think…he already…fell…asleep…" Jewel spoke, trying to fight against her sleep.

"Yeah…I'm afraid it's…no use…and the music…is still…playing…" Mario groaned.

"I…don't know…how much…we can…fight our…sleep…" Ribbon Girl added.

"…Poyo…" Kirby moaned. "Even…the kids…can't take it..."

Dreambert looked around, and saw another Dreampoint, with another petrified Chaos Emerald on it.

"Look! There! A Dreampoint!" he pointed.

"No time for that! We need to escape!" Starlow said.

"No, listen! We'll leave Luigi sleeping here and go to the dream world! The Dreambeats cannot reach us once we pass that dreamy border!"

"Good idea!"

The group carried Luigi to the Dreampoint and placed him on a rocky bed with coals underneath while Sonic moved the Emerald to the left. Dreambert then turns into a pillow and positions under Luigi's head to make the dream portal appear.

"This next…Emerald…used to be…purple…" Jewel watched her Magical Pillow turn purple.

"Let's worry…about that…later… I just…want to…head into…the dream world…" Sonic said.

Jewel quickly rests her head on her pillow before Mario and his crew jumped into the portal.

* * *

However, as soon as the gang escaped into the dream world, the Dreambeats began to spread around the entire island. Everyone who listened to them fell asleep immediately as a strange source of rainbow energy came out of them. All of those rainbow orbs of light flew into the Dream Stone at the top of Mount Pajamaja.

"Huh? What're those weird things?" Bowser asked.

"SCREEEPS! The Dream Orbs…" Antasma answered.

"Dream…Orbs?"

"These vill allow us to absorb energy from those who sleep… These Dream Orbs are the energy source that vill power the Dream Stone…"

"That's a lot of words, but OK. Sounds pretty sweet!"

"SCREEKEEDEE! Good. This is good! Ve vill soon be able to use the Dream Stone. SCREEG!"

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **What will happen next? Find out next time! Please review.  
**


	15. Glorious Pajamaja Dreams

**Here's the next chapter!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Glorious Pajamaja Dreams**

The snowy portion of Dreamy Mount Pajamaja remained the same as its rocky portion, except that the ground was snow and ice, there were lots of mountains at the distance, a beautiful aurora was shimmering in the sky, and all of the Hooski statues and stones floating in midair were shivering with a saddened expression. After Mario and his gang arrived at the dream world and met with the Dreamy pair eventually, they all sighed in relief.

"That was so damn close!" Sonic remarked.

Everyone looked back at the dream portal and noticed that the Dreambeats couldn't reach them.

"So, what are we going to do? Camp here until the Dreambeats wear off?" Mario guessed.

"Well, you don't want to fall asleep and unable to stop the bad guys, right? Then we must stay here to remain safe." Dreamy Jewel stated.

"True…"

"Say, Jewel, you said that the Chaos Emerald was purple, right?" Sonic pondered. Dreamy Jewel nodded. "Hmm, if I'm correct, I think I gave that one to-…"

All of a sudden, Sonic was interrupted when everything started to shake.

"What's going on?!" Ribbon Girl panicked.

"S-Something's not right… ***gasp*** oh no! The dream portal!" Dreamy Jewel turned around and saw the dream portal starting to shrink.

"Wh-what?! NO!" Dreambert yelled as everyone witnessed the portal closing right before their eyes.

At the real world, Starlow was also witnessing the closing of the dream portal.

"The dream portal…is disappearing!" she gasped.

Back at the dream world, the portal shrunk into nothingness, leaving Mario and his gang stranded in the dream world.

"OH CRAP! The portal has vanished!" Sonic yelled in shock.

"Does this mean we're trapped in here?" Baby Luigi whimpered.

"For the time being." Dreambert said. "An ill omen… The power of the Dreambeats must have been too great… Luigi's sleep became so profound that the dream portal ceased to be."

"There's that, too?" Kirby tilted his head.

"Well, one thing's for sure: we cannot return to the real world with things as they are." Mario stated.

"Mario's right; we must seek a way to reopen that dream portal!" Sonic added.

Everyone nodded, and before they could get any further, they heard a female voice:

"Oh, I can't believe you found me in here!"

None other than Blaze showed up!

"Blaze!" Sonic exclaimed. "That's right! I gave the Purple Emerald to Blaze! But how you were able to reach the top of the mountain?"

"I happened to register for the Mount Pajamaja climbing tour, but thanks to my jumping skills, I was able to reach the peak…until the Emerald became dark before sucking me in and end up here." Blaze explained.

"That happened because you ended up next to a Dreampoint and you were affected by the island's curse." Sonic replied. He then explained everything to Blaze. After the explanation, she spoke:

"So you were escaping from the Dreambeats by hiding here in Luigi's dreams?"

"Yeah, and that's why we ended up encountering you." Sonic said.

"But now the dream portal disappeared and we're trying to find a way to reopen it." Mario added.

"I see. In that case, since I'm trapped in here anyways, I'll join in and help you." Blaze smiled.

"We'd appreciate it, Blaze. Come on, let's go."

The group moved on to explore this dream world while also taking down some Chizzles, Magmads and Iceads. Soon, once they reached an area where the ground was all ice, they came across another Luiginary Work as Dreamy Luigi started to react to a freezing sun at the background showing a faint image of Luigi's face.

"Over there!" Dreambert pointed.

"Another Luiginary Work!" Dreamy Jewel beamed. "What might happen if we use this one?"

"Let's see." Dreamy Luigi zooms into the sun, becoming an icy Luigi face looking like he was shivering. At the real world, Luigi was also shivering.

"Just looking at this Luiginary Work chills my spirit…" Dreambert commented.

"Is it just me…or did this place became cold?" Baby Mario wondered, shivering a bit.

"Nope, it did became colder when Luigi zoomed into that sun…" Ribbon Girl shivered.

"There has got to be a way to warm this place up…" Dreamy Jewel mused.

* * *

 _ **At the real world…**_

"Oh geez… I can't believe the dream portal closed…" Starlow lamented. "What do I do…if Mario and his friends don't come back… I just wish I could help… Plus…" she looks at the shivering Luigi. "Luigi looks like he's freezing, sleeping out in these elements. I wish I could warm him up somehow…" then, a big red button on the left side of Luigi's head caught her attention. "Hm? What does this button do?"

She then moves Luigi's right wrist to make him press the red button, and just then, the coals underneath him lit up and warmed him, as he stopped shivering.

"Well, how about that?" Starlow smiled.

* * *

 _ **At the dream world…**_

At the same time the coals lit up and warmed Luigi, the freezing cold Luigi sun turned into a smiling hot Luigi sun, and magically, the whole place warmed up, with the ice melting and all of the Hooski statues and rocks showing smiley faces.

"…Ah! Much better!" Baby Mario chirped as everyone stopped shivering.

"Yeah, but now it's dying hot in here." Sonic spoke, wiping off the sweat.

"Dreamy!" Dreamy Jewel squealed. "This Luiginary Work can either be a winter or summer wonderland! I'll contact Starlow about that." She pulls out her Calling Moonstone and speaks: "Starlow!"

" _Yes, Jewel?"_ Starlow answered.

"We've stumbled upon a Luiginary Work that seems to affect both the temperatures in here and in the real world! Did you do something to make this happen?"

" _I did! I pressed some sort of red button next to Luigi and the coals underneath the bed he's on can either lit up or turn off!"_

"Oh, so that's what happened! Thanks for telling us!" she puts her Calling Moonstone away. "Hmm, I sense we are connected closely to the real world if that's the case…" she pondered. "Everyone, this Luiginary Work controls the temperature of our surroundings. We must use this ability to forge ahead!"

" _That sort of felt like the temperature changes in the Airway in Bowser's body…_ " Mario thought, remembering the same temperature changing that happened in the Airway, an area inside Bowser's body, during his previous adventure.

"For the name of this Work… I'll be simple this time. Let's just call it: Luiginary Ice!"

The group went on ahead using the Luiginary Ice to change between hot and cold to get over obstacles and solve puzzles. They also had to avoid certain Hooski statues whose punches reach the foreground. Upon reaching a cave, they noticed lava at the bottom.

"That… That is lava, is it not?" Dreambert said.

"How come there's lava at the peak?" Blaze puzzled.

"I sense that this is…an active volcano."

"A volcano, huh…" Mario thought out loud. Then, he had a crazy idea: "Hey! I know how we can wake Luigi up!"

"Really?" the rest of the group piped up.

"Yep! We'll just cause an eruption in this volcano!"

"Sounds like a good ide-… WAIT, WHAT?!" Dreamy Luigi yelled in shock at the last sentence.

"Make the volcano erupt?! Are you crazy?!" Sonic flinched, as the group nodded in approval.

"But guys! The force of the eruption might be loud enough to make Luigi sleep less deeply and so the dream portal will open!" Mario told.

"Hmm, I see your point, Mario." Dreambert confirmed. "It's worth a shot. Let's get to the crater!"

Everyone nodded and pressed on.

Soon, they came upon a huge snow bank while they were standing on top of the stack of Luiginoids. There, they learn a new technique for the cone formation: the Tornado, where all of the Luiginoids whirl around while Mario and friends move around by the gusts of wind, allowing them to blow away these snow banks and push anything caught by the tornado away.

After getting past that area, they've stumbled upon…the same Dream Mist they've found at the real world.

"Oh god… That fountain is also in here?!" Sonic groaned.

"Well, this is that fountain materialized by Luigi's subconscious." Dreamy Jewel stated.

"Oh, don't you dare…" Sonic noticed that Mario and Dreamy Luigi were heading towards the fountain to drink it.

"Sonic, we've received damage from the battles we had throughout the way, so I and Luigi must drink it no matter what." Mario said coyly to Sonic.

"Alright, fine. But if you end up like what happened previously, I'm going to scream…"

Mario just shrugged before he and Dreamy Luigi proceeded to drink the Dream Mist.

* * *

 _The fresh, sweet taste and lovely scent of the water courses through Mario's and Luigi's bodies, plunging them into a deep sleep. After a while, Mario and Luigi awake feeling an unusual power deep within their bodies._

 _After becoming so powerful that they could crush anything in their paths, Mario and Luigi move on! Bowser and Antasma are still on the run, but their capture by Mario and Luigi is inevitable. All Bowser and Antasma can do now is blame one another for failure._

 _Bowser and Antasma are cornered with ease, but they still wish upon the Dream Stone for the bros' downfall. But of course, Luigi the superstar doesn't miss his chance to shine! He leaps gracefully into the air, and with otherworldly agility, he manages to take the Dream Stone back!_

 _Bowser and Antasma reach the very nadir of utter failure. The bros were just too strong. Prince Dreambert revives all the petrified Pi'illos with the Dream Stone and Princess Jewel welcomes scores of tourists to the island. Pi'illo Island becomes famous, and the party never ends._

 _Pi'illo Island finally wakes up from its nightmare._

* * *

Instead of what happened previously, Mario and Dreamy Luigi were actually smiling and not making any noises in their sleep.

"Huh, looks like they're enjoying their dream now." Sonic stated, tilting his head.

"Yeah, but still… This is no time for sleeping." Blaze shook her head as she creates two fireballs on both palms.

Grinning evilly, Blaze shot the fireballs at Mario and Dreamy Luigi each, causing their butts to set aflame as they woke up in a startle.

"OOOOOOW!" they yelled in pain as they tried to fan the fire out.

Dreamy Jewel put out the flames with her Water Sapphire.

"Who did that?!" Mario questioned. Sonic directed to Blaze, who was smiling nervously. "Really, Blaze?" Mario sassed.

"Sorry, but I had to wake you up." She replied.

"Well, at least it worked." Dreamy Luigi shrugged. "And our health is restored just like last time, so we better move on."

* * *

 _ **Some hours later…**_

They finally reach the crater of Dreamy Mount Pajamaja, where they encountered a huge sleeping volcano at the background. But as they were walking past the volcano, Dreamy Luigi stopped and looked at it.

"Uh, guys… Is it me or is the volcano moving…?" he spoke nervously.

"What do you mean?" Mario asked as he and the others came back.

Suddenly, a hot breeze blew in as the group looked at the volcano, and what appears to be a mouth with sharp teeth moved right in front of them.

"What the…" Blaze blinked.

All of a sudden, the 'mouth' unleashes a powerful gust of wind, blowing the heroes away.

"WHOOOOOOOOOAA!" they screamed as they flew offscreen.

Luckily, they managed to climb back up.

"Phew…" Kirby sighed. "I thought we were going to die right there…"

"Are you well?!" Dreambert asked.

 **YAAWN…**

A monstrous voice came in.

"…Uh, Mario? When did your voice become so hoarse?" Dreambert questioned.

"What? That wasn't me!" Mario shook his head.

Then, the ground shook again.

"It sure wasn't…" Baby Mario froze.

 **WHO WAKES ME?**

They noticed that this voice was coming…from the volcano!

"The mountain…is alive?!" Ribbon Girl's eyes widened.

"Who knew Mount Pajamaja had a mind of its own just like the Dream Stone…" Dreamy Jewel breathed.

"In that case… We must find a way to make it erupt." Dreambert said. "According to what Mario said, if we goad it into erupting, the dream portal might open…"

The group found a block and proceeded to use the Luiginary Tornado and knock the spiky blocks at Dreamy Mount Pajamaja's nose, and…

 **HOW DARE YOUUU!**

Dreamy Mount Pajamaja became so enraged that it erupted. With that, back at the real world, Luigi made a confused face while raising an eyebrow.

"Luigi? Am I just imagining things? He's not sleeping as deeply…" Starlow spoke.

Back at the dream world, Dreamy Jewel heard what Starlow said through her Calling Moonstone and smiled:

"Guys! It actually worked!"

"Jewel, how about we focus on something MUCH MORE IMPORTANT!" Sonic yelled as everyone panicked at the enraged Dreamy Mount Pajamaja.

"LOOK OUT!" Mario called out as meteorites were falling down, but the heroes were able to dodge them.

"Well, we know what we have to do, right? RUN FOR IT!"

Everyone immediately proceeded to run, only for Dreamy Luigi to accidentally trip and roll into a ball, which then created a snowball that engulfed everyone in. The giant snowball with the engulfed heroes rolled all the way to the base of the mountain, and for some reason, it wasn't hit by any of these meteorites on its way down.

Soon, the snowball crashed into the ground at the base, freeing everyone trapped inside it.

"Well, that was one way to get us down…" Sonic groaned.

Just then, as soon as they got up, a looming shadow appeared above them. They knew what that was, so…

"WOAH!" they dashed immediately before Dreamy Mount Pajamaja, who was the looming shadow, dropped down to where they previously were.

They continued to run, until it was all silent.

"I think we lost it… I hope." Kirby spoke.

 ***CRASH!***

Unfortunately, Dreamy Mount Pajamaja landed right in front of them, causing them to jump in startle. At the real world, Luigi covered his face with his cap in fear once again just like back at Dozing Sands as the 'L' started to glow.

"WATCHA PROBLEM?!" Dreamy Mount Pajamaja yelled furiously, his 'eyes' flaming in anger.

"I…think we've made a huge mistake…" Dreamy Jewel gulped.

While Dreamy Luigi kneeled on the ground cowering in fear, Dreamy Mount Pajamaja took a few steps back, and stands in a fighting stance as he growls:

"GOTTA TEACH YOU A LESSON!"

He made the sound of a locomotive before proceeding to dash at them, causing everyone to freak out.

"It's coming right for us!" Mario panicked.

"Does it mean to ram us?!" Blaze questioned.

At the real world, Starlow remembered back at what she did at Dozing Sands and immediately held down the 'L' on Luigi's cap, causing the Luiginoids to merge within Dreamy Luigi as he starts getting bigger again.

"Hey! Dreamy Luigi is growing again!" Dreamy Jewel was the only one to notice that.

* * *

As for the others,…their worry was focused on Dreamy Mount Pajamaja, who was now just a few inches away from them.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Kirby screamed.

"NO! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!" Baby Luigi cried out.

All of a sudden, just before Dreamy Mount Pajamaja was able to ram into them, something whacked him really hard, causing him to fly off in the distance. The group looked behind them and saw that it was Dreamy Luigi, who had grown giant again, who whacked Dreamy Mount Pajamaja with his hammer.

"There's no way I'll let you ram into my friends!" he declared.

"Lookie! Dreamy older me is giant again!" Baby Luigi exclaimed.

"Whew! That was a close one! Thanks a lot, Luigi!" Sonic thanked before they jumped on top of Giant Luigi's cap.

"No problem!" Giant Luigi replied. "Eh?" he saw Dreamy Mount Pajamaja coming back.

"GRAWWWR!" he roared loudly.

Giant Luigi stood in his fighting stance, ready to battle. Then, Dreamy Jewel noticed something on Dreamy Mount Pajamaja and informed:

"That looks…impenetrable. If only there was a way to break his guard…" then, she had an idea. "Ah! Why not try the Hammer Uppercut, Dreamy Luigi?"

Giant Luigi nodded and did the Hammer Uppercut at Dreamy Mount Pajamaja, causing him to tumble down on his back.

"He now looks defenseless! Now, how are we going to deal massive damage to him?" Dreamy Jewel puzzled.

That's where something came in Baby Mario's mind: he whispers something in Baby Luigi's ear, who nodded back. They then descended to Giant Luigi's shoulder and Baby Mario called out:

"Hey, Luigi!"

"Yes?" Giant Luigi looked at his shoulder and saw the babies.

"Why don't we do an attack together?"

"Of course! What attack?" Baby Mario then whispers something in his ear. "Oh! Got it!" he replied. "Let's do this!"

Giant Luigi jumps into the air as he and the babies began to spin. Baby Mario spun clockwise before diving onto Giant Luigi's head as they crashed down on Dreamy Mount Pajamaja's nose. Giant Luigi bounced off and Baby Luigi spun counterclockwise before he was the next one to dive onto Giant Luigi's head and crash down at the nose. The attack, which they called it the Baby Drill Stomp, ended with Baby Mario once again spinning clockwise and he and Giant Luigi crashed down at the nose for the third time.

Once Giant Luigi landed back on the ground, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi became exhausted and rested on his cap just as Mario did back at the first giant battle. Dreamy Mount Pajamaja got back on his feet and launched a flaming rock from its hole at Giant Luigi, but he countered back with his hammer, only for Dreamy Mount Pajamaja to hit it back, turning into a rally game. This rally ended when Dreamy Mount Pajamaja's timing went off and he was hit by his own rock that blocked the hole on his head.

Dreamy Mount Pajamaja erupts in anger, but before he could react, he was hit once again by Giant Luigi's Hammer Uppercut, causing him to tumble on his back again, which then followed by Giant Luigi's double stomp on his nose, since the babies were still resting.

Dreamy Mount Pajamaja stood back up and stepped back a few feet away before charging for Giant Luigi. Giant Luigi grabbed him with his own hands as he slid back a bit, and struggled to push him back. Dreamy Mount Pajamaja landed on his back again.

Then, Giant Luigi noticed that the babies already took their rest and were ready to perform the Baby Drill Stomp again. They then attacked Dreamy Mount Pajamaja's nose with the Baby Drill Stomp again. The babies had to rest again as Dreamy Mount Pajamaja stood back up once again, but he looked pissed off right now:

"NOW I'MA GET SUPERHEATED!"

Just then, a stack of volcanic rocks lifts Dreamy Mount Pajamaja upwards. He then shoots out more flammable rocks at Giant Luigi, but he destroyed them with his hammer. Giant Luigi notices a volcano erupting at the background, so he guessed that he had to hammer the volcanic rocks at it. He does a Hammer Swing at the lower rocks, causing them to block the volcano's hole, and it sent them flying right back at Dreamy Mount Pajamaja's head.

Dreamy Mount Pajamaja sends out fireballs out of his hole at Giant Luigi, but he knocked them back at him with the hammer. Then, once a volcano right behind Dreamy Mount Pajamaja erupted, Giant Luigi does a Hammer Uppercut to knock the remaining rock at it. The volcano sends the rock right back at Dreamy Mount Pajamaja's head, causing him to get dazed and fall on his back once again.

After another Baby Drill Stomp, Dreamy Mount Pajamaja started to become badly damaged as some of his parts crumbled. He was also feeling woozy and weak, which means…

"Alright! Time to finish him with the Finishing Team, everyone!" Dreamy Jewel exclaimed.

With that, the Finishing Team Attack was executed and Dreamy Mount Pajamaja was defeated when the Power Star flew right through him. With that, Giant Luigi shrunk back to normal size.

"Phew… A heated battle!" Dreambert sighed.

"Tell me about it." Dreamy Luigi nodded.

"Hey, look!" Dreamy Jewel pointed to the opened dream portal. "The dream portal is finally back!"

"Hallelujah!" Sonic fist pumped.

"So the eruption did make Luigi sleep less soundly."

"Wait a moment… What's that?" Blaze noticed a nightmare chunk behind her. "That must've fallen from the remains of Mount Pajamaja!"

"The nightmare chunk trapping the Emerald!" Sonic exclaimed. "You know, even if the dream portal is back, how about we go back to the real world in style?"

Everyone nodded. Sonic then shatters the nightmare chunk, revealing a Dreamy Purple Chaos Emerald. He picks it up, and it glowed as the whole area around them was surrounded in a white light. At the real world, the petrified Emerald wiggled while releasing colorful sparkles.

* * *

Mario and his friends were back at the real world, where once Luigi and Jewel snapped awake, the Emerald flies into the air, releases Blaze, and regains its purple color.

"Guess I'm finally out." Blaze smiled as Sonic picks up the Purple Emerald.

"Just one more left, which is the one Knuckles lost…" Sonic muttered at the last sentence.

"Everyone!" Starlow interfered. "The portal had disappeared… What happened in there?"

"The Dreambeats made Luigi sleep too deeply." Dreambert explained. "But somehow, we found a way back out."

"GAHAHAHAHA!" just then, they heard Bowser's laugh. He came down at the heroes, holding on to Antasma. "Wide awake now, are we?"

"Bowser!" the heroes growled.

"The Dream Stone has been restored… SKREEKY!" Antasma screeched.

"Impossible!" Dreambert retorted.

"Gwahaha!" Bowser laughed as he and Antasma landed on the ground. "Oh, really? Feast your eyes!" he pulls out the fully-charged Dream Stone. "This shiny rock here is gonna give us the ENTIRE WORLD! Yeah! Hear that, cushion? It's gonna grant my wishes! And you know who's gonna stop me? Not you guys!"

"SCREEETH! Vee must start our conquest… SCREE!" Antasma smirked.

The villains fly away.

"Man, this is just great!" Sonic groaned while facepalming.

"We need to get to Peach. NOW." Starlow spoke up.

"We all know definitely what Bowser will do with that Dream Stone." Blaze stated.

"Force Peach to marry him and crush Mario's cap, just for him to end up on a wild goose chase with a new identical cap that can possess things?" Jewel guessed, causing everyone to stare at her with weird looks. "What?"

"Where the heck did you get THAT from?" Sonic questioned.

"I have no idea… But it could happen!"

"I… doubt THAT will happen." Mario sweatdropped. "Anyway, Peach must be in danger right now. We gotta go save her." He said. "So we have to head back to Pi'illo Castle!"

The entire group nodded before exiting the mountain via a Warp Pipe nearby.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **I decided to make the babies perform that Drill Stomp attack during Giant Battles to reference the drill technique they did in Partners in Time, and for also to give more attention to them. :)  
**

 **Did you catch that _Super Mario Odyssey_ reference at the end of this chapter? ;) Until the next chapter where things will change a little bit! Please review.**


	16. Sunny Driftwood Shore

**Done with this chapter!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Sunny Driftwood Shore**

 _ **Meanwhile, at Mount Pajamaja's summit…**_

While the gang was making their way back to the castle, Bowser and Antasma went back to the peak of the mountain, where they met up with Kamek and the Elite Trio. Bowser then pulls out the Dream Stone as Antasma speaks:

"The Dream Stone has been restored… Now vee begin to conquer the vorld… SCREEPLE!"

"Solid! Let's do it! Where to begin, though… Hm…" Bowser thought out loud. "THINK, MINIONS!"

"Oh! Right, boss… Errrmmm…" Private Goomp said.

"How about we steal the world's food? And then EAT it." Corporal Paraplonk suggested.

"Sir, four simple words: fan club with rewards!" Sergeant Guy interfered.

"You fools! Be more smart!" Bowser growled.

"SCREEET!" Antasma screeched. "I haff already thought of a thing vee vill need…"

"Really?! What?!"

"A CASTLE! To conquer the vorld, vee vill need a castle…"

"Mm. A castle, huh? Good point." Kamek approved.

"Yeah… Castle… So we create a base on the island and conquer the world from that? Genius!" Bowser grinned. "We'll build the best castle on the whole island! Yeah!"

Antasma approaches the Dream Stone and says his wish:

"A new castle… For just us… It vill be strong… Castle… Castle… BUILD IT! SCREE!"

Just then, the Dream Stone glows brightly in pink before engulfing everything in white. If we're further away from the island, we could see a circle of colorful lights appearing at the top of the mountain as some tall towers belonging to a castle began to rise up.

As the castle reveals itself, it rose high and high into the air and was now hovering above the island. This new castle was large, black and ominous showing a mix of Bowser and Antasma's designs, since we can see the outer walls having spikes similar to the ones seen on Bowser's Castle, and the design of the purple towers and its spires represent Antasma.

The bad guys were now standing at the roof of this newly-created castle and were amazed.

"So this is my new pad, huh? GWAHAHAHA! I like it! This Dream Stone ain't too shabby!" Bowser exclaimed.

"SCREEETCH! You like it, yesss…" Antasma smirked.

"Yes, I like it. You don't have to screech at me. Anyway, it's PERFECT for world conquering! And I will name it Neo Bowser Castle!"

"Neo Bowser Castle… SCREEPTH! You may call it however you like, of course… But let us take it for a test drive… Yesss… Let us try it out… SCREEK!"

Then, some sort of spiky cannon appeared below the castle and started charging up some sort of dark energy before firing it like a laser towards three neighboring islands.

* * *

 _ **With the gang…**_

They finally reached the entrance of Pi'illo Castle. But then, just as they were about to enter, a loud explosion was heard throughout the whole island, and that caught their attention.

"What the heck was that?!" Sonic flinched.

Some people from inside the castle, including the rest of Sonic's friends, rushed outside because of the explosion. Then, Blaze spotted some smoke at the distance on the sea.

"Look over there!" she pointed. "If there's smoke, then that means something just blew up!"

"Blew up?! Oh no…" Jewel whimpered. "Not the three neighbor islands…"

* * *

 _ **Back at Neo Bowser Castle…**_

Shortly after the three islands blew up, some sort of crystal barrier appeared around the whole castle, suggesting that it's now protected with a barrier so no one could get in.

"Whoa. WHOA." Private Goomp's eyes widened upon witnessing the early event.

"The islands… Gone." Sergeant Guy blinked.

"That…is scary." Corporal Paraplonk breathed.

"YES! AWESOME!" Bowser yelled in excitement. "This thing is NASTY! With this castle, we can do whatever we want!"

"SCREEHEE!" Antasma snickered. "You are next in line, honorable Bowser… It is time you vished for yourself… SCREECH!"

"Can do, buddy! GWAHAHAHA!"

* * *

 _ **Back at Pi'illo Castle's entrance…**_

"BAD! BAD THING!" a Brock came in, panicking. "Some terror castle appeared and zapped the surrounding islands! Help… HAALP!" he ran away.

"So I was right… The islands are gone…" Jewel lamented.

"How did this happen?!" Amy asked.

"Hmm, I believe this is part of Antasma and Bowser's plan." Dreambert stated. "It appears they have put it into motion!"

"So we HAVE to get to Princess Peach ASAP!" Starlow demanded. "She might be their next target!"

"Speaking of which, where is she?" Mario asked. "She's not in the castle at all?"

"No." Silver shook his head. "Yoshi told me that she went with him and Toadsworth to Driftwood Shore. I think he also said that something about it being safer to hide there until you came back."

"Driftwood Shore, huh? Got it! Thanks!" Starlow thanked.

Then, Silver noticed Blaze with them.

"Blaze! You're safe!" he rushed to her. "What happened?"

"Oh, Silver!" Blaze beamed. "I ended up getting trapped in the dream world of Mount Pajamaja, but thankfully, Mario and his friends saved me."

"That ended up the same with me at Dozing Sands. Well, looks like everyone is freed, so let's remain hidden in the castle."

"No. I want to go with them to Driftwood Shore." Blaze directed to the main heroes. "Speaking of which, why don't you come along too? It's been a while we joined the Mario Brothers since their adventure at the Beanbean Kingdom."

"Oh, yeah! Sure! I'll be able to meet up with my pal Yoshi, anyways!"

"Alright, Driftwood Shore is just southwest of Mushrise Park." Jewel said. "Let's go!"

They all went back to Mushrise Park and went southwest to reach this new beach area.

* * *

Driftwood Shore is a nice tropical area located southwest of Mushrise Park and south of Wakeport. This area had elements that are commonly seen in every beach: palm trees, tropical flowers and seashells and starfishes in the sand. There were also some seashells carved into the walls of stone platforms as well as fish fossils and coral fossils. The beach coasts were surrounded by rocks and pink corals and wooden planks were installed to move from one area to another. Despite being a tropical coast, there were still some patches of grass on the sand. The name 'drift' comes from the phase 'drifting off to sleep', which is the equivalent of someone falling asleep.

"Oh, this place is neat." Ribbon Girl smiled.

"Indeed." Jewel nodded. "It is the perfect place for relaxation in this island."

"And speaking of relaxation…" Silver noticed a familiar green dinosaur wearing sunglasses while relaxing on a beach chair at their left. Silver walks towards the dinosaur and playfully removes his sunglasses.

"Hey!" he exclaimed playfully while opening his eyes. "Silver, you silly!"

"Time to wake up, Yoshi! You've got the same company of friends here with me!" Silver said playfully while directing to the crew.

"So you were relaxing throughout this whole time in here?" Luigi asked.

"I was." Yoshi replied as he got out of his beach chair. "I decided to relax and wait for you after I escorted Peach and Toadsworth here."

"Great! So where are they?" Starlow asked.

"They're at Broque Madame's shop, the Rose Broquet. Come! I'll take you there!"

Yoshi led the group to Rose Broquet, and once they were inside, they found themselves in a place of pure luxury made out of gold and silver and some fancy item shops. They were amazed.

"Whoa… So much luxury!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Oh, wow…" Luigi breathed in amazement.

"Oh, this is so pretty!" Ribbon Girl squealed as she looked at some fancy dresses and shoes at the clothing shop.

"The owner of this place sure has unique tastes…" Mario commented.

Soon, the gang went to the back room of the Rose Broquet. On the other side, they saw a large female Brock at the other side of a counter, getting a massage from a male and a female Brock.

"Oww… Onh…" Broque Madame moaned. "Hmm… Hit zee lower lumbar a bit harder… Hngh… Oui, oui… Oui, zat works… Zee shoulder… With force, honh?" the two Brocks did a ground pound at her shoulder. "Onh, onh… Oui… Bon… Zee stress… It loosens… Fantastique… Hee hee hee… Au revoir, stiffness… Petit masseurs… You are incroyable…"

"Excuse me, are you Broque Madame?" Jewel asked politely.

With that, Broque Madame stood up and looked at the group.

"Hee hee hee… Ah… I have admirers, honh?" she winked. "And yes, I am Broque Madame, zee owner of Rose Broquet… Oui, I manage all things in zis shop… All things…"

"Nice to see you, but… what were you doing just now?" Silver asked.

"Zee severe back therapy is not for zee public… You keep zis secret?"

"Um…okay."

"Hee hee hee… Oui, merci… Alors… I and zee petit dinosaur awaited you all…"

"Huh?" the group except for Yoshi raised an eyebrow.

"Hee hee hee hee… Zere was a reason we waited like zis for you… Come out, vous two…" she called out the two Brocks that were massaging her.

The Brocks jumped out to the other side of the counter and stopped next to the group.

"Eh?" Luigi blinked as he took a look at these Brocks.

Just then, the group with the exception of Yoshi flinched when the Brocks took out their costumes, revealing Peach and Toadsworth!

"Everyone! You found us!" Peach exclaimed.

"Oh thank goodness!" Starlow beamed.

"Since that great lout restored the Dream Stone… Thanks to our young lad, Yoshi, we found the best course of action to be hiding." Toadsworth explained.

"Well, we got worried about you and came right away!" Kirby said to Peach.

"I'm fine, really." Peach replied. "But little else is… Bowser's new castle… Just the thought of that floating castle makes me fear the outdoors…"

"Oui, but zis place, it is not so safe either…" Broque Madame stated. "Bowser could attack here at any time, honh?"

"Oh, yeah… True." Yoshi nodded.

"Dear masters and mistresses! We must ensconce the princess in safer lodgings!" Toadsworth said.

"Somewhere safer… That's not so easy…" Mario pondered.

"Where exactly we could hide Princess Peach?" Blaze wondered.

"Hee hee… Well… What about hiding her in zee dream world?" Broque Madame suggested.

"Good idea-…! WAIT! How do you know about that?!" Sonic asked in shock.

"Hee hee hee… Sapphire hedgehog… Broque Monsieur has told me of zis, honh? And you can access zis dream world, is zis not so? It would be zee safest place for her, non?"

"Well, that might be true, but… We need Luigi to make this happen plus a Dreampoint."

"Zere are many spots where one could sleep soundly on zee beach… Why not enter zee dream world from one of zen and hide her?"

"That could work. The dream world will possibly be the last place Bowser would think to look for her." Jewel stated.

"Yeah, but it would be ideal if we could reach the dream world with minimal exposure." Toadsworth pointed out.

"Good point." Peach threw in. "Everyone… Can you do it?" the heroes nodded. "Thank you!"

"One of zese sleep spots is not so far from zis shop…" Broque Madame informed.

"All right! Let's search for that Dreampoint!" Starlow exclaimed as the group, along with Peach and Toadsworth left the shop.

After wandering around the beach a bit, they found a round inner tube floating on the water, shimmering in the same Dreampoint aura.

"There it is! The Dreampoint!" Dreambert said.

"Great! Sleep on, Luigi!" Starlow told.

Dreambert then turns into a pillow on the inner tube before Luigi sleeps on it to create the dream portal and Jewel rests on her Magical Pillow on the sand close to the inner tube.

"Oh, a dream portal appeared above Luigi's head just like last time!" Peach exclaimed. "We'll hide here?"

"That's right." Blaze nodded.

"Masters and mistresses, I entrust the princess to your care!" Toadsworth said. "Try to hide her as deep in the dream world as you can."

"We'll do." Mario nodded, with his friends doing the same.

"Okay, please lead the way." Peach requested.

Mario then picks up Peach in bridal style before he leapt into the dream portal, followed by his friends.

* * *

Dreamy Driftwood Shore was a mixture of vibrant colors: the background was green that turned blue on the bottom. There, pink and yellow stars and the coral and fish fossils were floating and the rocks that surrounded the beach and the palm trees were present. The background also showed some planet-like islands with palm trees placed in odd positions. The ground was sand, and starfishes, bushes, the same tropical flowers and pink corals were decorating it. Transparent bubbles flowed upwards in this place, making it feel almost like it takes place underwater.

Mario and Peach arrived first, landing safely on the sand.

"Here you go." Mario smiled as he places Peach down.

"Thank you, Mario!" Peach thanked sweetly.

Soon, the rest of Mario's friends emerged out of the portal.

"Nice looking dream world!" Baby Mario smiled.

"Yeah!" Baby Luigi nodded.

"So this is the Driftwood Shore dream world!" Peach looked around. "So…mysterious…"

"I wouldn't say it's that mysterious, Peach." Dreamy Jewel spoke from behind the heroes. At her side was Dreamy Luigi as well. Peach turned around and was very surprised to see them.

"Luigi? Jewel? How are you here?" she asked.

"Actually, they're not physically here. They're Luigi and Jewel's consciousness materialized in the dream world." Mario explained.

"Luigi and Jewel in the dream world… Ah… You're Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel!"

"That's right!" Dreamy Luigi nodded.

"Well, Peach, as you know, you must hide in the dream world for a bit." Dreamy Jewel stated. "You might be safe from Bowser, but not from danger."

"We've been in and out of the dream world enough times to know about the dangers in here." Sonic added.

"Sonic has a good point." Blaze threw in. "Here's what I plan: you all go scout ahead while I guard Peach."

"Sure thing, Blaze." Silver nodded.

"No, Blaze. It's alright." Peach shook her head. "I'll be fine on my own. There doesn't appear to be any danger in the area yet…"

"What? Are you sure about that, Peach?" Blaze questioned unsure. "It's not too safe right now. Plus, we're too close to the dream portal. What if any of Bowser's minions show up out of nowhere?"

" ***sigh*** alright, fine." Peach muttered.

As the rest of the group who went to scout ahead left, Blaze looked at Peach suspiciously.

" _She's acting a bit off to me… She never says 'fine' in that tone! Something's not right with her…_ " she thought.

With the scouting group, they went on ahead, only to find a dead end.

"What?! How could it end already?" Sonic didn't believe that.

"Odd…" Yoshi spoke quietly.

"Dream worlds in Dreampoints are supposed to be expansive, right?" Silver asked.

"They are. So this is an odd one." Dreamy Jewel answered.

Little did they know that Kirby and the babies had stopped in the middle of the path as they noticed a peculiar object sticking out of the sand, blowing out bubbles.

"Hmm, what is that thing?" Kirby asked.

"No idea…" Baby Luigi replied. "Should we try pulling it or leave it be?"

"Eh, I'll pull it anyways!" Baby Mario shrugged before grabbing hold of the object and starting to pull it out. "Hmmmph! A little help here?"

Baby Luigi and Kirby shrugged at each other and helped Baby Mario. Then, once they managed to pull it out, they flung backwards by the momentum as sand flew upwards, which made a loud noise that even the group at the dead end wall heard it.

"What's going on back there?!" Mario questioned as he and the group turned around. "Babies!"

The adult Mario Bros rushed to their younger selves to see if they're alright.

"Are you okay?" Dreamy Luigi asked in concern.

"We're fine, Dreamy Luigi!" Baby Mario nodded while smiling.

"Umm, what's that?" Ribbon Girl pointed to a blue and lime-green sea horse creature at their front, which was the thing that popped out of the sand.

"Whoooaaaa, easy on the honker, dudes!" it hissed.

"Sorry about that…" Kirby apologized.

"Hey, wait… That stache!" the sea horse looked at Mario. "You GOTTA be Mario. Dude! I was waiting for you and your friends!"

"You…know who we are?" Mario blinked.

"Hey, bro, I know what goes down in the real world! Hello? I'm a Seadring. Y'know? A DREAM GENIE. I know things. I've chilled on this dreamy shore forever! Name's Seadric."

"Oh! Now I see! I saw two bridges containing two sea horse statues at the real world! That would explain those statues of you!" Dreamy Jewel concluded.

"Oh, those old things? Anyway, I getcha. You guys came here because… You wanna hide Princess Peach?"

"That's correct." Mario nodded.

"No sweat! This place isn't roomy, but it's super mellow! No baddies!"

"Guys?" Blaze's voice came from behind. She and Peach showed up next to the group. "We were a bit worried so we followed you."

"I can't help but wonder… Will this place be safe?" Peach wondered.

"Somewhat…but I feel it's too close to the portal to the real world." Dreambert stated. "Seadric, is there no way to go deeper into the dream world?"

"Nay! Or yay! Maybe." Seadric replied. But that confusion caused everyone except for Peach to raise their eyebrows. "A Dream Egg would let you, y'know, expand the dream world! Like, fwooooooosh! Y'know? Dream Eggs hold MORE dreams!"

"So where can we find a Dream Egg?" Yoshi asked.

"Easy. I just gotta, y'know, lay one."

"Wonderful! Our problems are solved, then!" Peach squealed.

"Yeah, no. It takes me, like, six months to pop one out…"

Everyone went silent.

"Are you kidding me?! We can't wait that long!" Sonic retorted.

"Isn't there any other way?" Ribbon Girl asked.

"Sure, sure. A quick fix. Right. I bet my little bros could help!" Seadric answered.

"Well, it's settled, then!" Dreambert settled. "There's no time to spare. Where are your brothers?"

"OK. OK. Go find other Dreampoints in the real world of Driftwood Shore. That'll lead you to my little bros. And my little sis. Her, too. Y'know what? I'd better holler at them real quick… Gimme a sec."

Seadric takes out his cellphone, dialects on it and puts it on his ear:

"Hey, what's up? That Seabury? What's up, dude. Yeah, it's Seadric. Listen, man, this guy Mario and his friends are gonna roll by to snag a Dream Egg. Couple dudes and gals. Two of them big staches. Two others are animals. Two more are babies. And there's a little pink ball, a green dino and one fluffy Pi'illo guy. Now for gals. One is her highness. One is a masked ribbon gal. And the last is a purple feline."

Dreambert hearing Seadric call him a fluffy Pi'illo guy didn't make him too happy and he gets mad at Seadric with steam coming out of his head. Seadric continues:

"Listen, bro, give Seatoon and Seabelle the heads-up, OK?" he turns off his cellphone. "Sorry about that. Dude is chatty. Anyway, you're all set now! Go find my bros and my sis, and grab yourself three Dream Eggs…"

"With those, we can expand the dream world and hide Peach!" Dreambert blurted once he calmed down.

"Soooo…yeah. Yeah… Listen, fair warning… My siblings can be annoying. They'll help you, but they can seriously talk your ears off."

"Great… Just what we needed…" Sonic rolled his eyes.

"I mean, nobody visits here, so it gets pretty lonely."

"Duly noted. All right, everyone! Back to the real world!" Dreambert hollered. "We must find those Seadrings! We must get those Dream Eggs!"

Everyone nodded, and Seadric disappeared.

"Well, I guess we're all set." Silver said.

"But, what about you, Peach?" Mario asked, quite worried.

"Please, don't be troubled. This place is safe." Peach spoke.

Then, the gang heard giggling noises belonging to Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, who decided to sit down on the sand and play like if they were in a sandbox.

"See? Even Baby Mario and Baby Luigi are happy with this place." Peach smiled.

"I guess you do have a point." Dreamy Jewel agreed. "Aww, they look so cute playing together." She smiled. "You know, let's leave them playing in here while we go search for the other Dreampoints."

"I'll stay here and watch over the babies. Good luck!"

The group waved to Peach and the babies before leaving the dream world through the dream portal.

* * *

Back at the real world, the group went on to explore Driftwood Shore in order to locate other Dreampoints. They solved a couple of puzzles around the beach in order to progress.

"I just hope the babies are safe with Peach at the dream world…" Luigi hoped.

* * *

 _ **Back at the dream world…**_

Peach watched Baby Mario and Baby Luigi building a sandcastle together. Once they were nearly done, Peach leaned down to them and spoke sweetly:

"My, that is a cute little sandcastle you built!"

"Thanks, Peach!" Baby Mario thanked.

"You know, I have a suggestion for a finishing touch. Baby Mario, how about you go search for some seashells to decorate it?"

"Oh, great idea! I'll do it! Be right back!"

Once Baby Mario left to find seashells, Peach looked around for a bit with a very odd smile in which Baby Luigi noticed.

"Uh, you okay, Peach?" he asked.

"What? Of course I'm fine, Baby Luigi!" Peach replied. "Or… am I?" suddenly, she did an evil smile.

"H-Huh?!" Baby Luigi flinched, stuttering in fear.

"We're gonna have a little fun together…" Peach snickered evilly as she was leaning closer.

Baby Luigi whimpered while shaking in fear, as Peach's looming shadow was getting closer and closer to him…

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Did you know that Driftwood Shore's music has a cover of both Oho Oasis's music and _Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island_ 's title screen music? The melody with the marimbas is the cover of Oho Oasis's melody, while the guitar one is the cover of the very first melodies of the title screen music before the flutes show up. THIS was the reason why I added Yoshi and the babies in this story! And because Driftwood Shore looks similar to the beach areas in Yoshi's Island, expect another reference from that game I decided to add to show up!**

 **Uh oh! What did Peach do to Baby Luigi? Find out in the next chapter! Please review.  
**


	17. Dreamy Driftwood Meeting

**Another long chapter! There's a lot of references from one certain game here!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Dreamy Driftwood Meeting**

"Alright, how about we split up so that we can search for the other Dreampoints?" Jewel suggested.

"But Jewel, we'll need Luigi so that we can access the dream world." Blaze reminded.

"I know. What I was saying is that we can split up to look for other Dreampoints and wait while Luigi is with one of those teams!"

"Um, alright. That could work." Luigi shrugged.

"Well, there's a Dreampoint right over there." Jewel pointed to another inner tube on the water. "So decide which ones will head there while the others search around the beach."

Everyone nodded and decided their own teams.

* * *

 _ **First team: Sonic, Silver and Ribbon Girl**_

They moved around the dream world with the Luiginoid Formation until they found Seadric's little sister, a pink seahorse.

"Hello, we're looking for a Dream Egg…" Silver started.

"Oh hey! What up, guys? You're totally Mario's friends, right?" the pink seahorse guessed.

"Exactly." Ribbon Girl nodded.

"I'm Seabelle. Or like, Ms. Seabelle? Or Sea-Sea, or whatever!"

"Okay…" Dreamy Luigi replied in an awkward tone.

"Yah, so, my brother? Seadric? He told me you were coming? Right, and so I totally prepped a sweet Dream Egg for you!"

"Wow! In that case, if you could ju-" but before Dreambert could finish…

"Oh wow. Ugh. Hold up, you guys. My eyelash extension just slipped! I gotta, like, go redo my makeup? It'll only take, like, an hour."

"AN HOUR?!" the group yelled.

"You can't be serious! We don't have time to wait that long!" Sonic retorted.

"Can the eyelash wait? I also use makeup a lot before my show performances, but I never get worried about it!" Ribbon Girl blurted.

"Nope. Ta-ta!" Seabelle scurries off.

"HEY! You get back here RIGHT NOW!" Sonic growled and by using his super speed, he grabs Seabelle and puts her right back where she previously was.

"WHOA." Her eyes widened. She then saw Sonic tapping his foot impatiently. "O…K. I guess you need the Dream Egg bad, huh?" everyone nodded. "But see, the thing is? In an hour, I'll be, like, an aquatic supermodel."

"Oh… Really." Silver spoke sarcastically.

"So that's, like, worth waiting an hour for, right?"

"NO WAY!" everyone shook their heads.

"Wait… Are you guys saying, like, I'm a supermodel even with this janky eyelash?"

Everyone looked at each other silently.

"Um… Is she serious?" Dreambert whispered.

"Hey! Cushion! You better be whispering I'm a supermodel, or no Dream Egg!" Seabelle hollered. Everyone then eyed at Dreambert, who began to sweat hard nervously.

"I, uh… Me?! You want me to tell her that?!" he asked the group, who nodded in response.

"Do it. It's the only way we can get the Dream Egg, anyways." Dreamy Luigi said.

"'Seabelle is a total supermodel even with a janky fake eyelash and no makeup!' SAY IT." Seabelle demanded.

"Um… OK…" Dreambert took a deep breath. "Seabelle is a…total supermodel…even with a janky fake eyelash and no makeup!" he murmured.

"CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Seabelle yelled, causing the group to jump in startle.

"Seabelle is a total supermodel even with a janky fake eyelash and no makeup!" Dreambert said normally.

"LOUDER!"

Dreambert's eye twitched, as he had enough. "SEABELLE IS A TOTAL SUPERMODEL, GAHHHH!" he yelled in impatience, and that caused the group to cover their ears.

"Ohhh! You think so? Really? I'm that cute?" Seabelle asked sweetly.

"There, I said it, didn't I? Now can we have the Dream Egg?"

"Well, I'm not sure you were, like, sincere? But you WERE super enthusiastic, so… Egg time! Here ya go!"

She then spits out a glowing pink and yellow egg from her mouth like Birdo does, and the Egg flew down to the group. At the same time when the group obtained the first Dream Egg, Luigi was laughing happily at the real world. Seabelle then disappears.

"Phew… She was a handful…" Sonic sighed.

"Tell me about it." Silver approved.

"Seadric was right; his siblings can be quite annoying…" Ribbon Girl muttered.

"OK. We'd better find the others at the real world to find the next Seadring!" Dreambert told.

* * *

 _ **Second team: Mario and Jewel**_

"How come there are coins on the walls?" Mario wondered as he saw some coins that were impossible to reach, at least from this ground level he, Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel were on.

"Hmm… Huh? Is that a planet over there?" Dreamy Luigi pointed at something at the background as he began to react to it.

That something was a round cyan planet with clouds forming Luigi's facial features. There was also an arrow pointing downwards under the 'mustache' part.

"A new Luiginary Work! Sweet!" Dreamy Jewel squealed.

Dreamy Luigi zooms into the planet, and his face showed up in it.

"Alright, what does this one do?" Mario asked.

"You know, I actually have no clue…" Dreamy Jewel puzzled.

At the real world, Starlow just decided to rotate the inner tube to the left out of boredom. At the same time, in the dream world, Mario and Dreamy Jewel were suddenly flying towards the wall on the left.

"WHOOOOOOOOA!" they screamed as they faceplanted onto the left wall, which was ground now.

"Owch…" Mario groaned. He and Dreamy Jewel stood up, only to find out that they were standing on the wall rather than on the ground. "Wait a minute! Did the gravity just change or am I going insane?"

"Dreamy!" Dreamy Jewel beamed. "This Luiginary Work can alter the gravity in the dream world!"

"Interesting… But how was that possible?"

"Hmm… That planet Dreamy Luigi just possessed looks identical to the inner tube he's sleeping on, so I guess Starlow must of have rotated it to the left, causing the gravity to change."

"Well, at least we can reach those coins now."

"The name for this Work… Obvious! We'll call it: Luiginary Gravity!"

With that, Mario and Dreamy Jewel moved around this part of the dream world with the Luiginary Gravity, with Starlow unintentionally changing the gravity.

Soon, once they got back to the actual ground, Dreamy Luigi zooms out of the Luiginary Work and the group encountered another Seadring, which was a lavender seahorse.

"Hello! We have come for the Dream Egg." Dreamy Jewel spoke politely.

"NICE!" the seahorse exclaimed. "Red and green staches, pretty yellow princess… You guys must be…those superheroes! YES! The… SUPER SEADRINGS!"

"Uh… What?" Dreamy Luigi questioned as the trio raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Ummm… No, we need the Dream Egg and-"

"No need to hide your identities! I'm cool! I watch your show every single week! Red Seadring! Green Seadring! And Yellow Seadring! Yeah! Always snacking on cheese! Look, I'm Seatoon! HUGE FAN! This is, like, a massive hour!"

"Cheese…what? Look… Kid…" Dreamy Jewel spoke quietly.

"DUDE! RING IT UP!"

"Hm?"

"Transform into your super forms! OH PLEASE! With the poses!"

"Errm…" Mario stuttered. He then turns to the group. "Okay, this kid is nuts. What are we going to do?"

"Yes, I know…" Dreamy Jewel sighed. "I guess we'll just have to play along…" she cleans her throat and announces heroically: "You are correct, young Seatoon! We are the Super Seadrings! We need the Dream Eggs to defeat the evil monster, Biggidy-Bowser!"

"Yeah!" Mario and Dreamy Luigi nodded, playing along.

Seatoon then starts to go all fanboying and squeals:

"OH MY GOSH! THE REAL DEAL!"

" _Gosh, this is stupid…_ " Mario thought while sweatdropping.

"Dream Eggs, huh? They're the key?" Seatoon wondered. "Well, I've got one for you for sure! But… First… RING IT UP!"

The trio went silent. Mario and Dreamy Luigi looked back at Dreamy Jewel.

"Mario… Yes, this is silly… But back me up here…" Dreamy Jewel whispered to Mario.

"Fine…" Mario whispered back. He cleans his throat and announces heroically: "TRANSFORMATION TIME! Red Seadring, uh…RING IT UP!"

"Guuuuuuulp… Oh my gosh…" Seatoon gulped in excitement.

"I… Er… Um…" Mario pondered nervously.

"Mario… He's waiting… Don't overthink the pose…" Dreamy Jewel whispered to him. "Just make something up or the ruse is done for!"

Mario then does a spin and does a heroic pose while shoving his fist in the air. "HIYAA!" he shouts.

A moment of silence occurred.

"No. NOT RIGHT AT ALL!" Seatoon yelled. "That's GREEN Seadring's pose! For after his special move!"

"Wow… So close, but so wrong…" Dreamy Luigi whispered to Dreamy Jewel. "Ma-Mario! I mean, Red Seadring! Enough warm-ups! Do the real thing!" he called out to Mario.

"And, Green Seadring! Look alive, superhero! Pose like you mean it!" Dreamy Jewel demanded.

Then Mario did a different pose while Dreamy Luigi did the same pose Mario did earlier. Buuuut…

"Barf. STILL WRONG!" Seatoon yelled again. "AND NO TRANSFORMATION! AND UNSYNCHRONIZED!"

" _Okay, I give up…_ " Mario thought with an annoyed look.

"Are…you…three…just…impostors?"

"What?!" Mario glared at Seatoon.

"I'm sorry, but yes… We're actually…"

"Do we even LOOK like Seadrings to you?!" Mario interrupted Dreamy Jewel.

"Right… Yeah, you DID look off… Super Seadrings have full beards, too…" Seatoon said. "When I got the call about you three and many others, I assumed three of them were, y'know, THEM… But you guys really went for it, huh? You tried to make me happy, huh?"

"Well, besides that, we did." Dreamy Jewel admitted.

"Now THAT is nice! You guys are nice! And you said you needed a Dream Egg, right?" the trio nodded. "Well, lemme repay nice with nice! I'll give you my Dream Egg! OK, OK! Here goes!"

Seatoon spits out a Dream Egg and it flew down to the trio. Once they got their hands on the second Dream Egg, Seatoon disappears.

"Golly… That was complicated…" Dreamy Luigi remarked.

"You tell me. Why would we be confused with Seadring superheroes?" Mario wondered. "That's really… weird."

"OK… Let's head back to the real world and find the last group!" Dreamy Jewel said.

* * *

 _ **Third team: Yoshi, Kirby and Blaze**_

After exploring this other part of the dream world, they soon encountered another Seadring up ahead: this one was yellow and wearing glasses.

"Ooh! Ooh! An audience! Right this way, folks!" he invited.

"So… We're here for the Dream Egg?" Dreamy Luigi spoke while tilting his head.

"Sure, sure, the Dream Egg. I got it. I'm Seabury. Like 'C' and a berry, OK? Say hey, and speaking of berries… You guys look pretty hungry, am I right?"

"No." Kirby shook his head. "Well, only if we count Yoshi; he's always hungry."

"Sorry, but I'm not feeling hungry right now, as odd as that sounds." Yoshi replied.

"Gotcha, gotcha. Don't like the berries. Cuz you're into the mushrooms, am I right, green stache?" Seabury said, directing to Dreamy Luigi. "Yeah, sure, of course! So I got you some seats in the Porridge Parlor. Know whyyy? CUZ IT'S A MUSH ROOM!"

Everyone face-faulted by Seabury's bad joke.

" _That was the WORST joke I've ever heard…_ " Blaze thought. " _Even Sonic does better jokes than this guy!_ "

"Is a parlor even a room? Yukyukyukyukyukyuk!" Seabury laughed. "Who cares, am I right? Funny either way, right?"

"Well…" Kirby replied coyly as he and the rest got back up.

"Gee whiz, tough crowd up in here… Feel free to clap, or talk, or something. I mean, a group of animals like you plus one with a sharp stache like that, I figure you guys appreciate sharp wit." The group sweatdropped at that comment. "Soooooo… Anyway… Say hey! You guys loving us Seadrings or what?"

"Um, yes." Blaze nodded.

"Well, little known fact for ya: Know why we're called Seadrings? Check out the bod! Can'tcha SEE… 'D'…RINGS?"

Yoshi, Kirby and Blaze face-faulted again, but for some reason, Dreamy Luigi quite enjoyed the joke.

"YUKYUKYUK! That's my man right there! He gets it! You feeling me there, buddy? Yeah!"

"Yup!" Dreamy Luigi nodded.

" _Luigi… Are you serious…?!_ " Blaze thought in unbelief.

"That one's solid! I mean, we're technically coils and not really rings, but whatever." Seabury replied. The trio got back up. "All right, hang on, I've got another one! This is gonna slay you, I swear!"

"Look, enough with your jokes." Blaze stated. "We're only here for your Dream Egg, and we'd rather hear about it than your jokes."

"OK… I get it… Ice cold, man. But whatever! Here, take it!"

Seabury spits out a Dream Egg and it flew down to the group. Seabury disappears once the group got their hands on the last Dream Egg.

" ***sigh*** Luigi, why would you like a joke that's SO obvious to understand?!" Blaze sighed, placing her palm on her face. "Good thing Sonic isn't with us, or he'll definitely dislike that guy and his bad jokes."

"Well, at least this sort of worked." Kirby shrugged. "If that didn't happen, we'll probably not get our hands on the Dream Egg."

"Yeah… I guess you do have a point, Kirby."

"Anyway, we now have all three Dream Eggs." Dreamy Luigi said.

"Let's return to the dream world where Peach and the babies await." Yoshi finished.

* * *

 _ **One regroup later…**_

The full group gathered next to the Dreampoint where they hid Peach.

"Let me guess, all of the other Seadrings you've encountered were really annoying, right?" Sonic guessed in a coyly tone, upon noticing everyone's odd faces.

"Yeah…" the other two teams replied.

"How about we go into the dream world so that we can forget about that?" Jewel suggested.

Everyone immediately nodded as Luigi and Jewel fell asleep, and the group entered the portal.

* * *

Inside the dream world, they met up with Peach.

"Welcome back, everyone!" Peach welcomed. "Did you find the Dream Eggs?"

"We did." Mario nodded.

"Eh? Where is Baby Mario and Baby Luigi?" Yoshi asked.

"LUIGI! WHERE ARE YOU?!" suddenly, they heard Baby Mario's yell. He came back in a panicked state.

"What happened, Baby Mario?" Dreamy Jewel asked.

"It's horrible! I can't find my little bro anywhere!"

"WHAT?!" everyone except Peach flinched.

"I was just looking for seashells, but when I came back, Luigi was missing! I looked everywhere but I couldn't find him! And I even asked Peach if she saw him anywhere, but she doesn't know either!"

"It's true." Peach stated.

"Strange… Why would Baby Luigi suddenly disappear?" Blaze pondered. "He would NEVER leave his older brother behind!"

"You have a point, Blaze." Dreamy Luigi approved. "Younger me has GOT to be somewhere around here."

"But where?" Kirby asked. "If he's not here, then where could he be?"

"Something's definitely not right here…" Silver thought suspiciously.

"Well, anyways, let's just give the Dream Eggs to Seadric and then we'll think more about that later." Sonic said.

They group met up with Seadric again, where he used the power of the Dream Eggs to create three brand new areas in the dream world, expanding it. The group then moved on, with Peach staying behind. However, not only they have to make sure the coast is clear, but they also must search for Baby Luigi, who's somewhere in this dream world.

* * *

The next area had a purple-colored background, but the elements kept the same. As they were wandering around, Baby Mario started to become even worried that he was walking a bit slower than the others. Yoshi noticed that and felt bad for him.

"Don't worry, we'll find your brother soon in here. I'm sure of that." Yoshi assured. "How about you ride my back so that you can keep up?"

"Okay…" Baby Mario replied saddened.

Yoshi then picks him up and places him on his saddle, just like how Baby Mario rides Yoshi's back in the _Yoshi's Island_ games before pressing on to catch up with the group.

In the purple area, they had to move around using the Luiginary Gravity. To add a bit of Yoshi's Island references here, Yoshi was able to eat some enemies and throw his ejected eggs at them and that was easier with the gravity change, since the eggs could bounce around the rooms. Soon, they met up with Seadric next to another extension of the dream world.

"Well, hello again!" Seadric saluted. "Did you scoop up all the sweet loot I scattered around?"

"We did!" Dreamy Luigi nodded.

"Seadric, we have another reason to explore the dream world; there's a baby that has suddenly gone missing. Do you have any idea where he might be?" Mario asked.

"What? A baby, you say? Hmm… Sorry, but I haven't seen anything." Seadric shook his head. "But if I had to guess… He might be at the deepest reach of this dream world, so keep going further."

"Not to mention that we also found some monsters in here too." Yoshi interfered. "But I was able to knock them out with my eggs."

"Whoa, hold up. Monsters?! Nah, dude. This place was JUST created. There shouldn't be any monsters!"

"Is that so?" Ribbon Girl tilted her head. "Odd…"

"Look, if there ARE monsters in here, some evil…something must have lured them!"

"Really?" Sonic piped up.

"Yeah, that ain't good. It means something bad got in. Be very careful up ahead. And let's hope you'll find that poor baby." Seadric disappears.

"Hmm, now that he mentioned about something evil, something just came back into my mind…" Blaze pondered.

"What is it, Blaze?" Silver asked.

"When you guys left to scout ahead, I saw something in Peach that didn't feel right. And don't even tell me I'm being paranoid." She then turn to Baby Mario, still riding Yoshi's back. "Baby Mario, let me guess, Peach was left with Baby Luigi when you went to search for seashells, right?"

"Yep." Baby Mario nodded.

"So I guess Peach and Baby Luigi do have a suspicious connection… She must of have done something to him."

"Wait a minute, if that's true, how can you tell she was lying?" Mario asked. "And also, how would Peach be able to get further into the dream world if that's where Baby Luigi is?"

"Mario, I'm good at detecting people who lie. Her eye movement didn't look normal, she didn't flinch with us when we heard the whereabouts of Baby Luigi being missing, and her smile seemed fake. Now for the last question, I actually have no idea…"

"Eh, whatever the case, let's head further into the dream world." Sonic shrugged.

* * *

The group went to the next area of the dream world. There, the background was cyan that turned yellow at the bottom. This time, there were no Luiginary Gravity or any other Luiginary Works. So, to move around the walls and collect all of the loots left by Seadric…

There was a shiny golden star with no eyes in the rooms. It was a Super Star, but nothing like the Invincible Star. Instead, it was a unique Power-Up for Baby Mario. He went to collect it, and as Yoshi turns into a giant Yoshi's Egg, Baby Mario gains a yellow cape just like the cape obtained from the Cape Feather; he just became Superstar Mario, from once again, the Yoshi's Island games.

With this ability, Superstar Mario was able to run freely on the walls and ceilings of the dream world's rooms, no enemies harmed him since he was invincible and was able to glide, allowing him to gather coins in midair and to avoid any traps. This ability was useful to solve puzzles so that the rest of the group could move ahead too.

After they approached another entrance to the next area, Seadric appeared again.

"You're doing great, guys!" he clapped. "Through there oughta be the deepest end of this dream world! Trust me, ain't NOBODY gonna find Peach back in there!"

"Sweet!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Wait… so if that's the deepest part of the dream world and we didn't find Baby Luigi anywhere, then that means he MUST be there!" Yoshi confirmed.

"Say, now that I think of it… Y'know this baby's disappearance and those monsters?" Seadric said. "You guys have any idea who could be luring these guys in here? And to think deeply, that someone might have be the one who was responsible for taking away that baby!"

"Boy, now my head is confused…" Mario sighed. "But we don't have time to lose. Bowser and his minions might be looking for Peach right now."

"Oh, right! Gotcha, gotcha. Sounds rough. I'll keep my eyes peeled! Well, I think I'm done here. And with that…I'M OUT!" Seadric disappears for the last time.

"Mario…" Peach's voice came. The group turned around and saw her walking to them. "I was starting to get worried, so I came to check on you. Did Seadric just say that some villain is letting monsters into this dream world and is also responsible for Baby Luigi's disappearance?" Mario nodded. "Well, I haven't seen anyone, that's for sure, but… I have to say, it's a bit worrying..."

"You tell me…" Baby Mario lamented.

"Oh, but I don't want you to worry, Baby Mario. If you haven't found him anywhere, then he must be just up ahead! I have no idea how he ended up all the way to the deepest part of this dream world, but the situation is grave. You know, I think I'll go with you."

* * *

Then the group and Peach went into the next area. The background in this area was pink. To their luck, no enemies were around. They just wandered around the area for a bit until they came upon a green pipe.

"We've come a long way, so Bowser probably can't find us in here. So let's see what's waiting down there…" Peach approaches the pipe. "I am definitely sure that we'll find Baby Luigi inside!"

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's enter it!" Sonic said as everyone went into the pipe.

* * *

Just then, once they emerged out into the next room…

"WAAAAAAAAH!" they suddenly heard a baby's wail.

Baby Mario got out of Yoshi's saddle and took a few steps forward, until he gasped at what he saw up ahead:

"OH NO! LUIGI!"

The heroes looked up ahead and gasped at what they saw: they found none other than Baby Luigi crying out many tears and he was inside a cube-shaped cage on the ground! (the song 'Nightmare Lullaby' from Dream Team's soundtrack starts playing here.)

"H-He's trapped in a cage! Who would do that to him?!" Ribbon Girl said shocked.

" _Why is this reminding me of something that the island's chief experienced when he was around my age?_ " Yoshi thought suspiciously.

All of a sudden, before the heroes could get to Baby Luigi's cage, both pipes were sealed, trapping everyone inside.

"What the-?! Why did the paths close?" Silver flinched.

"Oh, the entry pipes slammed shut!" Peach exclaimed. "But… I'm sure we can relax now." She suddenly does an evil chuckle. "Nobody can…interrupt us here. Tee hee hee…"

"Um… Peach? What's gotten into you?" Mario questioned, his eyes widen by Peach's sudden change of attitude.

"Now, Mario… Let's relax and have a chat, hm? You have time to spare, no? Tee hee hee…"

"I am NOT liking this creepy laugh…" Dreamy Luigi shuddered, speaking quietly.

"Okay…what's going on?!" Mario wondered.

"NYAHAHA!" all of a sudden, Peach cackled in a VERY familiar voice! "You guys…still don't get it?"

"That voice…!" Mario gasped. "NO! IT CAN'T BE!"

Suddenly, her face changed into none other than Kamek's face! But for some reason, he was still wearing the dress.

"NYAHAHA!" he cackled.

"KAMEK?!" everyone yelled.

"Ooh, are you poor things in shock? I pretended to be Peach to smuggle monsters into the dream world… And to capture your useless party member that I'm familiar with in the past for so long! Nyahahahaha!"

"Don't call my brother useless!" Baby Mario growled.

"So you were the one responsible for these monsters!" Blaze hissed. "I'm guessing you put them all there to try and prevent our progress for saving Baby Luigi, isn't it?!"

"Aren't you a smart one, kitty cat!" Kamek smirked.

"Don't call me THAT!"

"Hmm… You know, even if you're pretty annoying than those Seadrings we've met, I'm pretty sure that you did that just so you could wear Peach's lovely dress!" Sonic teased.

"Oh… Actually… Yeah, you know, this frilly pink thing is pretty darn cute, I must say." Kamek spoke in a girly voice while doing some cute poses. "I mean, those blue robes are so DRAB. Sometimes I open the closet and just gag." Then, Kamek heard some snickering coming from the heroes, since Sonic's teasing was really funny. "Wait… HEY!" he yelled, making the group stop snickering. "…Let's start over, shall we?"

"Alright… Go ahead." Sonic sassed, shrugging. The group then glares at Kamek as he spoke:

"Surprise! Didn't expect Peach to be an impostor, did you? We've played you all for fools!"

"Actually, I've had my suspicious…" Blaze said sternly.

"Me too, but only when I saw Baby Luigi trapped like that." Yoshi added.

"All right! I'm serious now! Are you ready to surrender?" Kamek yelled.

"NEVER!" Mario growled.

Then, Kamek lifts up the bottom of the dress, and out of it came the Elite Trio. With that, Kamek was in his normal robes and flying on his broomstick.

"In that case, troops! Deal with-…"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kamek was interrupted by Baby Luigi's loud wail.

"Urgh! Troops! Deal-…"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Baby Luigi wouldn't stop wailing. Kamek's eye starts to twitch in anger.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Kamek yelled at Baby Luigi, only to receive a fireball to the face. "OW!"

"This is NOT how to take care of babies!" Blaze hissed furiously, with a fireball on her palm. "Now I can see why Bowser behaves that way! You're a TERRIBLE babysitter!"

"HEY! Settle down, kitty!" Kamek retorted. "AS I was saying… Troops! Deal with these guys! Show the true power of Bowser's honor guard!" he finished before flying off.

"Hoo boy! It's our big chance!" Private Goomp exclaimed excitedly.

"For real, guys, if we can finish them here… I don't wanna jinx it, but PROMOTION CITY!" Corporal Paraplonk fist pumped.

"Wait, what? I thought you said our career paths were already solid!"

"Yeah, listen, about that…" Corporal Paraplonk paused for a moment before saying: "Nah, forget it! Let's just settle this!"

"Yeah! HONCHO TIME!"

Dreamy Luigi quickly gave a boost to his friends before Sergeant Guy used a wand to transform all of the Goombas surrounding Private Goomp into an image of himself. Kirby then swallowed all of them up, including the real Sergeant Guy, and spat out a large star that hit both Private Goomp and Corporal Paraplonk.

Corporal Paraplonk retreats into his shell and charges towards the heroes, but Ribbon Girl stunned him with her charged Sparky on her right hand before grabbing him and throwing him at Sergeant Guy, giving the chance for Sonic to Home Attack the latter. With that, both Corporal Paraplonk and Sergeant Guy were knocked out.

"Ha! Two down, one more to go!" Sonic spoke cockily…until Private Goomp revived both his knocked down teammates. "What?!"

"Ha to you, cocky needlemouse! You like that, buddy?! It's called teamwork!" Private Goomp teased. "Unless you KO all three of us at once, we can't lose!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

Sergeant Guy slapped Private Goomp in the face since he spoiled the accurate way of KO'ing them.

"Sorry… I maybe said a bit too much." Private Goomp apologized as he surrounds himself with more Goombas.

"Okay, now this is rough…" Silver groaned.

Private Goomp commands his Goombas to charge at them, but Silver stopped them with his telekinesis and sent them back at Private Goomp. However, Corporal Paraplonk handed a Mushroom to Private Goomp.

"Oh COME ON!" Sonic yelled.

"I'm with you; this is starting to become a nuisance…" Silver grumbled.

Sergeant Guy then calls to some Shy Guys to ready a Banzai Bill into the cannon and fired it towards the heroes.

"Banzai Bill INCOMING!" Dreamy Jewel warned.

The group took off, running away from the Banzai Bill. That is, until Baby Mario found a Super Star nearby and used it to transform into Superstar Mario. With invincibility and strength, Superstar Mario grabs the Banzai Bill and hurls it back at the cannon, destroying it. The explosion also did little damage to the Elite Trio.

"That's it! Let's use attacks that can damage all of them at once!" Dreamy Jewel figured.

She shoots white energy blasts from her Energy Rock Crystal at the Elite Trio, followed up by Ribbon Girl's Popper on her left hand, with the little stars that come out of it damaging each of the minions.

"Now, Mario! Use a new Luiginary Attack at them!" Dreamy Jewel said. "Do the same as usual and shout 'Luiginary Flame!'"

"Right!" Mario nodded. "Luiginary Flame!"

Mario tosses Dreamy Luigi into the air and he exploded into multiple Luiginoids, all with the Fire Flower Power-Up. One of the Fire Luiginoids creates a large fireball and tosses it to Mario, who passes it to the other group of Fire Luiginoids, who were charging another large fireball. As more fireballs were fed to the main large one, it gets bigger and bigger, and once all of the groups of Fire Luiginoids were over, Mario hammers the huge fireball at the Elite Trio, hitting all of them at once.

"Sergeant Guy reporting! We're at the brink of defeat!" Sergeant Guy reported.

"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! This is NOT good!" Private Goomp panicked.

"Good thing I've prepared this huge bomb as our last resort!" Corporal Paraplonk spoke up, as he brings out a huge Bob-omb.

"Whoa! RUN!" Silver yelled as the heroes dashed away.

The Elite Trio chased after them, carrying the Bob-omb, which was already lit. However, Blaze did an evil smirk and shoots a fireball at the fuse, causing it to get smaller until the whole fuse was wormed out.

"…Shoot." Private Goomp sweatdropped.

 ***BOOOOOOOM!***

The Bob-omb exploded on their faces, knocking all of them down at once. Kamek then came back and facepalmed in disappointment:

"Ugh, what are you guys DOING? Look at yourselves! Pathetic! You think a bunch of weaklings are fit to guard Bowser?!" the Elite Trio stood back up. "NOPE! You guys are CANNED! You no longer lead the guards! You're on KP duty until further notice! Go clean Bowser's castle!"

"AAARGH!" Private Goomp growled in frustration.

"No! Kamek! Forgive us!" Corporal Paraplonk pleaded.

However, Kamek didn't respond and used his magic to teleport the Elite Trio back to the real world.

"Hmph… Well, this isn't as much as I'd hoped." Kamek muttered. "But… Oh well. Who cares? This was just for kicks. Because Bowser already kidnapped the real Peach!"

"HE WHAT?!" the heroes yelled in shock.

"Oh yeah! They're probably lounging in his new castle right this instant! You chumps are no longer needed! NYAAAHAHA!" he begins to leave.

"No! Get back here, you coward!" Mario demanded angrily, but Kamek was already gone. "ARGH!"

"Hm? Hey, look!" Kirby pointed to the cage.

Since Kamek was gone, the cage trapping Baby Luigi disappears and he was freed.

"Luigi!" Baby Mario beamed and went to his little brother to hug him.

"Golly… That was scary…" Baby Luigi whimpered, returning the hug.

"Well, you're safe now." Dreamy Luigi smiled at his younger self, who returned the smile upon breaking from the hug.

"Yeah, but now… We're in a dire situation…" Dreambert mused. "That vile Kamek… He deceived us all…"

"And he also made us witness something that he's already done multiple times in the past ever since Baby Mario and Baby Luigi were newborns…" Dreamy Jewel added.

" _Down goes another wall number four already…_ " Sonic thought while rolling his eyes.

"He tricked us all… And Bowser already has Peach…" Ribbon Girl muttered.

"So what now?" Kirby asked.

"No choice… We'd better go back to the real world… We need to think of a new strategy…" Dreambert answered.

The group nodded and proceeded to leave Dreamy Driftwood Shore.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Did you like all of these references from the first Yoshi's Island game? In case you don't get them, the references were: Yoshi carrying Baby Mario on his saddle, Yoshi laying and throwing eggs that behave just like in the games, the inclusion of Superstar Mario, and the best for last, Baby Luigi getting captured by Kamek as a callback to the games' plot! ;D  
**

 **An imposter tricked well the heroes... Until the next chapter! Please review.**


	18. Planning a new strategy

**So sorry for the long wait; I was having fun with a certain game. But now I'm back to writing!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Planning a new strategy**

Everyone hopped out of the dream portal as Luigi and Jewel woke up. Starlow and Toadsworth were dying to hear the news.

"Masters and mistresses! How fared you?" Toadsworth wondered.

"Did you hide her in a pleasant spot?" Starlow asked.

"Well, about that…" Mario started. "We have some good news and bad news."

"What's the good news?"

"The good news is that we managed to expand the dream world when we were all searching for the Seadrings."

"And that the babies who were left in the dream world are safe." Jewel added.

"And the bad news?" Starlow asked.

"The bad news is that the Peach we brought with us was an impostor." Mario answered, feeling a bit down.

"And to make things worse, Bowser already has the real one." Sonic grumbled.

"Mm hmm… So Princess Peach was an impostor, was she?" Toadsworth tilted his head.

"Well, excellent news." Starlow said. "It was a fake prin-…"

Then, it dawned on them.

"WHAAAAAAT?!" they yelled in shock. "SHE WASN'T REAL?!"

"Yeah, unfortunately…" Mario replied, crestfallen.

"I've already had my suspicious…" Blaze stated.

"She was Kamek in disguise who kidnapped me and took me to the depths of the dream world…" Baby Luigi lamented.

"Breathe…old…boy…" Toadsworth gasped for air, trying his best to not faint.

"Insanity…" Starlow mused. "We should go back to Broque Madame's store for now. She might be able to help us."

The group nodded and made their way back to the Rose Broquet. There, they told Broque Madame the news.

"Hee hee hee… Zey pulled zee wool over us, honh? A fake princess… Incroyable…" she replied after taking a sip of her tea.

"Master Mario! I'm simply covered in shame." Toadsworth regretted. "I've known her all her life! And yet I couldn't tell…"

" _I can't believe this is the second time this happened… And yet I never figured it out again._ " Mario thought, remembering back when he, Luigi, Yellow Toad and Blue Toad had to rescue Peach during her birthday, and upon throwing Bowser into the lava pit, Kamek has disguised as Peach to trick the heroes and made Bowser grow gigantic.

"Do you think we could find a way into Bowser's castle?" Starlow asked. "I mean, it's the only option! Do that, and we save Peach!"

"Impossible! Or improbable, at least! It's in the blasted stratosphere…" Toadsworth replied saddened.

"Not only that… But last time I checked, I noticed that the castle is guarded by some sort of barrier…" Jewel sighed.

"Waaah… Oh, waaah… Dear Princess Peach…"

"There must be SOME way to breach that castle…" Starlow stated.

"I could turn into my Super form to smash that barrier, but thanks to knucklehead, I still have one more Emerald left." Sonic said, rolling his eyes at the last sentence.

"Should we try searching for the remaining Emerald?" Silver suggested.

"Silver, we don't know where the Emerald is. It could be anywhere around this island, and we'll take days to find it." Blaze replied.

"Oh, I guess you're right…"

"Great… Is there any other way?" Sonic asked.

"By zee way…" Broque Madame interfered. "Dr. Snoozemore has returned…"

Everyone piped up by that.

"Eh? Snoozemore?" Toadsworth spoke.

"Really? He's back?" Jewel beamed.

"You saw his face at least, oui? When you came to zis island… He is zee proprietor…"

"Oh! I remember him now! He's the professor who's researching this island's history and the Pi'illos, right?" Ribbon Girl guessed.

"Oui."

"Uh… Dreambert? You okay?" Luigi noticed that Dreambert was facing the wall, in deep thought.

"A learned mind, researching my and Jewel's people and the history of our island…" he pondered before turning around and telling: "We must visit this professor."

"Why?" Starlow asked.

"That castle was created with the Dream Stone's power… If this Dr. Snoozemore is doing research into such things… He may have wisdom to share that will aid us!"

"Hey! That's a good idea!" Kirby chirped.

"Hee hee hee… Indeed, oui…" Broque Madame threw in. "I, too, would love to meet Dr. Snoozemore…"

"Masters! Mistresses! Please! You must help Princess Peach!" Toadsworth begged.

"We'll do, Toadsworth." Mario replied as his crew nodded.

"Dr. Snoozemore, he has returned to Pi'illo Castle…" Broque Madame told.

"Then we should all head back to Pi'illo Castle right now!" Starlow said.

They took a nearby Warp Pipe to warp directly back to the castle's lobby.

"You guys are back!" Amy came to them, along with Tails, Rouge and Knuckles. "What about Peach?"

The group explained to Sonic's friends everything that happened.

"So Peach was Kamek the whole time? How dare him!" Rouge growled.

"Guess we'll have to save her again…" Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"Anyways, did you all came back for something?" Tails asked.

"Yeah, we want to see Dr. Snoozemore." Sonic answered.

"The proprietor? Sure! He's at the collection room." Tails told. "You know, I think we'll all come with you."

At the collection room, the gang found the doctor facing the bed in the middle of the room.

"Dr. Snoozemore!" Starlow called as the doctor turned around. "You're him, right?"

"Mm-yes… I'm Snoozemore, the proprietor of this island." He replied. "And you must be… Mister Mario, Mister Luigi and their friends, mm-yes? I have heard of you. Welcome to Pi'illo Island!" aaand he fell asleep.

"God, not again…" Sonic facepalmed.

"Professor! Wake up! We need your help!" Starlow yelled.

"ZZMPH!" Snoozemore snapped awake. "My deepest apologies. As you may know, I research sleep… Clearly sleep also researches me…"

"We don't have time to know more about you! We have an emergency!" Sonic retorted.

"That's correct!" Dreambert stepped in. "Chaos reigns over the island!"

"Mm?" Snoozemore eyed at Dreambert. "HMMM?" his eyes widened. "I must be dreaming! Is it… Can it…be true… A PI'ILLO! How…can this be?! The Pi'illos are extinct!"

"Actually, they're not. They were only petrified for many years. These stories about their disappearance are false." Jewel corrected.

"Bubbitybubbity!" Snoozemore started to freak out as he runs in circles. "BLAM!" he slammed into a wall.

"…Are you okay?" Baby Mario asked.

"Ah, never better! That woke me up!" buuut, he fell asleep again.

"…You were saying?" Sonic sassed at the sleeping Snoozemore.

"Oh my gosh… This'll take forever…" Blaze facepalmed while shaking her head.

* * *

 _ **Some hours later…**_

"Mm-yes… I see… Much transpired in my absence…" Snoozemore said.

"Yes, Antasma and Bowser united their energies… Soon after, a wicked castle appeared in the sky…" Dreambert explained.

"And Princess Peach got kidnapped…" Mario added.

"Mm-yes… So you plan to infiltrate this castle?" Snoozemore asked.

"That's right."

"Once within, we could cast down Antasma again…" Dreambert stated.

"As things are now, though, we don't stand a chance…" Jewel shook her head.

"Mm-yes… Mmmmmm… The Zeekeeper…" Snoozemore pondered.

"I'm sorry? The Zeekeeper?" Starlow tilted her head. "You mean that giant bird that people say lived here long ago?"

"Mm-yes… The Zeekeeper… The bird of legend that lived in harmony with the Pi'illos… Many times he protected the Pi'illo Kingdom from disaster… If you can find that guardian…"

"Wait, find him?" Luigi asked.

"He's actually around?" Jewel's eyes widened.

"Mm-yes, I deem he is… The Zeekeeper must be within the dream world… If you can find him and convince him of your need…" Snoozemore spoke.

"Of course!" Dreambert exclaimed. "The Zeekeeper would be a mighty ally… He wields a beam that could shatter the castle barrier!"

" _Well, I guess my Super form wouldn't work, then…_ " Sonic thought.

"Prince Dreambert… Princess Jewel… You both are well traveled in the dream world, I trust. Have you seen any clues? Anything Zeekeeper related? Something… Zeekeeper-ish? Zeekeeper-like? Zeekeeper-esque? Any of this ring a Zeekeeper bell?" Snoozemore asked.

"Well… I recall something in Dreamy Pi'illo Castle… I saw a strange statue of the Zeekeeper somewhere…" Dreambert answered.

"For me, now that you mentioned Dreamy Pi'illo Castle, I spotted a closed door right next to the dream portal once I and Dreamy Luigi found Tails in the dream world…" Jewel added.

"MMM!" Snoozemore exclaimed. "Dreambert… That statue might hold the clue you need!"

"So it's settled! Let's make for Dreamy Pi'illo Castle right now!" Starlow said.

Dreambert flies to the bed and turns into his pillow form. Luigi rests on it to make the dream portal appear. Jewel then rests on her pillow on the floor at the right side of the bed.

"We'll stay here and wait for your return with some info about the Zeekeeper." Blaze said, with Sonic and his crew nodding. "Good luck!"

Mario and his crew then dove into the portal, leaving Snoozemore amazed:

"MMM! Is that a…dream portal?! This is DEFINITELY going into my research list!"

"You know, he's starting to remind me of Professor E. Gadd…" Tails whispered to Sonic.

"I can't say I agree with you, buddy." Sonic whispered back.

* * *

Once they arrived, they met up with the Dreamy pair again.

"This really brings back awful memories…" Mario sighed.

"Yeah… This is where all of that mess started." Ribbon Girl added.

"Hey! Over there!" Dreamy Jewel pointed to a closed door up ahead. "That's the door I just spoke off!"

"Oh yeah! Now I remember!" Dreambert exclaimed as everyone approached the door. "If my mind's eye is true… The Zeekeeper statue is beyond this door…" he then begins to concentrate a pink energy within his body. "Mmph… NnnGAH!" he releases the pink energy at the door, and eventually, it opened up. "Let us move on."

They went into the door, and on the other side…there was another entrance leading to Dream's Deep.

"Oh, that creepy place again…" Baby Luigi shuddered.

"Out of all the places in the dream world, that statue had to be in Dream's Deep?!" Ribbon Girl questioned.

"Well, we have no choice but to head down there again…" Mario said as everyone dove into the purple light, leading them to Dream's Deep.

* * *

Luckily, once they landed on the ground, they noticed the Zeekeeper statue right in front of them.

"There it is, as in memory… The Zeekeeper statue…" Dreambert said.

"So, what now?" Kirby asked.

"Ah, yes! I remember now. I was still so young when it came to pass… Yes, long ago I entered Dream's Deep. It was here that I learned to summon the Zeekeeper. It is not easy to call him forth… When I was here as a youth, I had no idea where to begin. And though I have met the Zeekeeper in the real world… I am afraid that I do not recall…how to summon him… Hmm… I sense this statue holds the Zeekeeper's secret, but…"

While Dreambert was still telling that to the heroes, Dreamy Luigi spotted an odd button up ahead past the statue. He curiously went there to check it, unnoticed by everyone.

"What does this button do?" he wondered before hammering it. Eventually, one of the Zeekeeper statue's eyes lit up, emitting out a green laser light.

"Hey! What happened?" Yoshi wondered.

"Guys!" Dreamy Luigi came back. "I just hit a button right over there. Maybe that's what caused the statue's eye to light up."

"If that's the case, there might be two more buttons for us to press! Each one for each eye!" Dreamy Jewel concluded. "Let's search around the area to find these buttons!"

They all proceeded forward where they soon came upon the Luiginoid Formation Work.

"You can use Luigination in a place like this?!" Dreambert didn't see that coming, looking at the stack of Luiginoids.

"Ah, who cares? At least we can have fun now!" Dreamy Jewel smiled.

"But…there does not seem to be room to maneuver."

"If that's the case, then I have an idea!" the main Dreamy Luigi in the stack exclaimed. "Everyone! Ball formation!"

In an instant, all of the Luiginoids formed into a large ball, surprising the group as they were now standing on top of the ball.

"Whoa! This is amazing!" Mario exclaimed.

The group began to roll the ball of Luiginoids, and before long, they were going downhill fast as they were running over some Dark Blocks in the way and rolling up a ramp that caused them to launch upwards.

"WAHOOOOOOOO!" Baby Mario was having fun. They then landed on higher ground.

"Wow! That was really fun!" Baby Luigi beamed.

"Hah hah hah!" Dreambert laughed playfully. "Look at you—on a roll!"

"Nice one!" Kirby exclaimed, air high fiving Dreambert.

"Dreamy!" Dreamy Jewel exclaimed. "With this shape, exploring will be a snap!"

They continued on, rolling the ball, until they came upon a grappling hook in midair.

"What about that grappling hook-like thing?" Dreambert wondered.

"Hmm… That's it!" Dreamy Luigi exclaimed. "Mario, I'll hold you above me, while you all hold on firmly, okay?"

The group nodded. Dreamy Luigi then held Mario above him before all of the Luiginoids launched in unison string-like towards the grappling hook like a hookshot, with Mario grabbing hold of it before letting go.

"Dreamy!" Dreamy Jewel beamed. "We can also use the Hookshot move to reach higher places! I wonder if we'll learn a new move afterwards!"

They moved on with the Hookshot move, eventually finding the second button. Now just one more remaining.

As they were almost reaching the last button, they were met with large blocks closing their path.

"Ugh… Stuck." Dreambert grumbled. "There has to be a way to get out."

"Wait… I have an idea!" Dreamy Luigi exclaimed before whispering something in Mario's ear.

"Oh, that should be really nice!" Mario grinned.

"What?" Kirby asked in curiosity.

"Get down, everyone! Cause here comes the wrecking ball!" Mario called out as he held Dreamy Luigi's hands and prepares to spin him.

"Wait, THE WHAT?!" Dreambert yelled as the group kneeled down in response to Mario's call.

Just then, Dreambert moved out of the way just in time as Mario swung Dreamy Luigi around with the Luiginoids still arranged in a ball swinging along like a giant wrecking ball, destroying the large blocks nearby. In addition to that, Mario threw the ball of Luiginoids to destroy the blocks that are far from reach like if he's doing a hammer throw. The group was now speechless as their jaws dropped.

"What… TRULY?!" Dreambert's eyes widened.

"Okay… now I'm amazed at what Dreamy Luigi can do." Ribbon Girl commented.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Mario yelled in excitement.

"So Dreamy!" Dreamy Jewel beamed. "Is there no end to your powers?! Shall we call it the Ball Hammer?"

"Sounds like a fine name for that!"

"Nothing can stop us now! Onward! Let's go find the last button!"

They went on ahead until they found the last button. After pressing it, they made all the way back to the Zeekeeper statue, where they noticed that its three eyes were lit and was now projecting something with its green laser lights. Eventually, it projected strange symbols that no one could understand.

"These symbols are… Pi'illo characters." Dreambert said.

"Strange… I feel like I can also understand them too." Dreamy Jewel pondered.

"Well, that's because you're half Pi'illo, Jewel. Remember?"

"Oh, right. Mind if I read along?"

"Sure."

Dreambert and Jewel examined the symbols carefully before each of them started to translate it:

"'All those…who seek…the Zeekeeper's power…'" Dreambert started. "'Ulti…bed…You must make the Ultibed…'"

"'The Ultibed… It is constructed of five parts…'" Dreamy Jewel continued. "'The Pajamaja Rock Frame… It rests on Mount Pajamaja. The Dozing Mattress…sleeps in Dozing Sands. The Mushrise Tree Board…rises in Mushrise Fields. Driftwood Jellyfish Sheets…drift on Driftwood Shore. The Zeekeeper's Feathers… An heirloom of Pi'illo Castle.'"

"'All five parts must be assembled by a Bedsmith. The Bedsmiths will gather on Wake Isle. Find the five parts, and give them to a Bedsmith. Only then can the Ultibed be completed…'" Dreambert finished.

"Mushrise Fields… That surely refers to Mushrise Park. And Wake Isle must be Wakeport. At least that's what I think." Dreamy Jewel guessed. "Do you agree?"

"Totally." Mario nodded.

"Eh? Guys! There's something coming out of the statue!" Dreamy Luigi called as some sort of booklet came out from the statue and was hovering above the heroes.

"What's that?" Ribbon Girl asked.

"This is… Ah, this pamphlet holds all the information I and Jewel just translated." Dreambert answered.

"So it's like a checklist?" Yoshi guessed.

"Probably."

"I'll hold on to it." Dreamy Jewel took the pamphlet. "I sense that if Luigi sleeps on the Ultibed… We will find the dream world where the Zeekeeper lingers."

"Alright, I guess we're done in here." Mario said. "Let's go back to the real world and tell Sonic and his friends about that."

* * *

Soon, they hopped out of the portal, with Luigi and Jewel waking up as Starlow flew to the group and asked:

"So how did it go? Learn anything new?"

"We did. We are tasked with scouring the island…" Jewel told. "We must find the five parts of the Ultibed…"

"Ultibed?"

"ZZMPH!" Snoozemore snapped awake. "Sleeping on that bed will take you to the Zeekeeper! Is that the trzzzz…" he fell asleep.

"Five parts…" Starlow breathed.

"What kind of parts?" Blaze asked.

"The Pajamaja Rock Frame, the Dozing Mattress, the Mushrise Tree Board, the Driftwood Jellyfish Sheets, and the Zeekeeper's Feathers." Jewel responded. "Each of these parts are scattered around all of the locations we've visited, except for Wakeport."

"Wait a minute… I think something else is coming in my mind!" Dreambert blurted. "The Zeekeeper's Feathers were a sacred treasure that Jewel's father kept with him as the royal family's heirloom. And once he was killed… I decided to keep the Feathers with me so that Antasma wouldn't lay a hand on them. But I just checked my pockets right now and I found no trace of the Feathers…"

"Hold on! Are you talking about these?" Jewel asked as she pulls out the three shiny feathers she kept in her pocket for so long.

"Yes! Those are the Zeekeeper's Feathers! But how did you get them from me?!"

"When you were still petrified, these feathers dropped down from you. At first, I had no idea what they were, but I thought they could be important for something, so I kept them with me."

"Ah, I see! So that's one item off the list! Now we must search for the remaining four!"

"I suggest we once again split up and each find an Ultibed part, and luckily, I've decided the teams."

"You did?" Sonic asked.

"It's part of the fourth-wall breaking…" Jewel sweatdropped.

"Oh, joy!" Sonic spoke sarcastically.

"Anyways, here are the teams. Mario, Luigi and their younger selves will search for the Rock Frame. Silver, Blaze, Yoshi, Ribbon Girl and I will search for the Mattress. Amy, Kirby and Rouge will search for the Tree Board. And Sonic, Tails and Knuckles will search for the Jellyfish Sheets."

"Hell yeah! Team Sonic is back, baby!" Knuckles fist pumped.

"She still hasn't finished yet, knucklehead!" Sonic retorted, with Knuckles looking at him annoyed.

"Alright, continuing on, once we all find a part, we'll meet back at the front of Pi'illo Castle. Is that okay?" Jewel finished.

"Good! Let's go, everyone!" Mario exclaimed.

Everyone nodded as they all split up into their groups, each heading to their own destinations: Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Starlow and Dreambert went for Mount Pajamaja, Silver, Blaze, Yoshi, Ribbon Girl and Jewel went for Dozing Sands, Amy, Kirby and Rouge went for Mushrise Park, and Team Sonic went for Driftwood Shore.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **And so begins the search for the Ultibed parts! Until the next chapter! Please review.  
**


	19. Gathering the Zee Parts, part 1

**SO SO sorry that I took so long! Too busy with the many second semester collage things I'm having these days... X(**

 **Thankfully, I'm having a national holiday next week starting at Thursday, so it might give me more time to write.**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Gathering the Zee Parts, part 1**

Previously, after the heroes discover that Bowser has kidnapped Peach again, they had to plan a new strategy. They then came with the task of finding the legendary Zeekeeper, but to find him, they had to gather the four other Ultibed parts, so they split up into teams. Let's take a look of what each team is doing.

* * *

 _ **Mount Pajamaja team: finding the Pajamaja Rock Frame**_

"Never thought we'd come back to this place..." Starlow said. "I just hope we don't have to make that stupid climb again."

"Boy, only bringing our baby selves with us takes me all the way back into that time-traveling adventure two years ago." Luigi said to Mario.

"I couldn't agree more." Mario agreed with him.

Then, a Shelltop nearby noticed them and exclaimed:

"Hi! Welcome to Mount Pajamaja!" the group went to him and he continues: "Great timing, tourists! There's a new Mount Pajamaja tour!"

" _Oh, god dammit…_ " Starlow thought.

"Lovingly scouted by the Massif Bros, who crested Mount Pajamaja… This tour is only for the brave! You're guaranteed to stare down the abyss! If you have what it takes, by all means, take this tour! The Massif Bros are waiting at the midway point of the mountain. To be honest…you should have your head examined if you take this tour. It stinks." The Shelltop left.

"Great, we'll have to climb this damn mountain again, right?" Starlow groaned.

"Well, what if the rock frame is somewhere above?" Baby Mario stated.

"That could be a possibility." Dreambert spoke up. "Let's go find the Massif Bros since they know a lot about this mountain."

They went up ahead until they arrived to an area filled with magma.

"Large bro…" they heard Li'l Massif's voice up ahead. They noticed the Massif Bros standing next to a bridge.

"Da, small bro!" Big Massif replied.

"New tour on mountain is genius stroke, but… Is no tourists coming! Is weak! Is flabby!"

"Small bro… Have beef! Climbing maniacs come soon!"

"Is supposed to be maniac tour?!"

"Hey!" Mario called out as he and the others approached the Massif Bros.

"See? Faith muscle is weak. Is climbing tourists right now!" Big Massif exclaimed.

"BEEF TIME!" both Massif Bros spoke in unison.

"Aren't you the same cutlets from last time, da?" Li'l Massif guessed. The group nodded. "And you come for extra-beefy tour, da?"

"Is time to crush mountain with muscles of marble!" Big Massif finished.

"Eh…actually, we have better things to do…" Starlow sassed as the others turned around as well.

"Wait… Nyet! Cutlets listen!" Big Massif called out, making the group stop walking and turn back to the Massif Bros. "Is newest tour! Is amazing!"

"And what is it now? You're always saying that."

"Is called…"

"MASSIF-VERT PAJAMAJA 2! BEEF STEAK BEEF STEAK TREASURE TOUR!" the Massif Bros announced, doing their flexing poses.

"Hold on! Did you say 'treasure'?!" Luigi asked while Mario, Starlow and the babies turned their heads to each other.

"Uh uh uh… Eyes sparkle with 'treasure' word, da?" Big Massif grinned.

"Massif Bros do not see it yet, but… Ultimate treasure hides on mountain! Is rumor!" Li'l Massif explained.

"Mind changes, da? Is fun tour now, da?" the group nodded. "Da…"

"COME!" the Massif Bros said before sprinting onward.

"Hey, wait for us!" Baby Luigi called.

"NO ROOM!" suddenly, they heard the Massif Bros yelling on the other side.

"What was that?" Mario wondered.

"Tour is full like sleeves of Massif shirt. No space." One of the Massif Bros said.

"YEEEARGH!" they now heard a yell coming from someone else.

"Okay, what in the world is going on over there?!" Starlow questioned.

Just then, none other than Popple rushed past the group, sweating hard.

"There's some fat loot on this mountain, see?" he stops to catch his breath. "But Popple ain't really the climbing type… And these beef jerkies won't bring me along! BOO! BOO, I SAY!" he walks towards the edge. "Nobody snubs the Shadow Thief, see? I'll hit that Wakeport house for revenge! Who cares about this stinkin' tour anyway?! Have fun scrappin' ya knees up, ya lousy drips!" he jumps off.

"SHAKE A BEEF!" Li'l Massif's voice came. "Is treasure time! We start tour now!"

The heroes followed to the next portion of the area, where the Massif Bros taught Mario and Luigi the Bros Ball technique they've learned back in their time-traveling adventure, except that they could hop around instead of rolling, so it was now named Ball Hop.

In addition, the babies also learned their own abilities they can perform with their adult selves: they've once again learned the Baby Spin with the Spin Jump and the Baby Cakes with the Ball Hop. Now, they've learned a brand new ability involving the use of the Side Drill: the Baby Launch, where the adult bros use their Side Drill at the babies, causing them to get launched a great distance away to the same direction the adult bros were facing.

During their climbing, they had to face against some Viruses from _Dr. Mario_ as well as using their new abilities to get past some new obstacles. Soon, they reached the cold part of the mountain once again, where they found the Massif Bros stuck on a puzzle.

"Once more! Da!" Li'l Massif jumped into some sort of gold ring, which did nothing. "Large bro… Is impossible! Go through ring without touching?!"

"Is salad talk! Is weak! You give up on tour? Maybe jump must be soft like this…" Big Massif then attempts himself by jumping into the ring, but still, nothing. Big Massif took a flexing pose.

"Large bro, is stupid pose. Is like eggs without bacon."

The group approaches the Massif Bros.

"Uh… Cutlets…" Big Massif breathed.

"What exactly were you doing?" Mario asked.

"Is important work…" Li'l Massif answered, directing to a closed door behind him. "Way to treasure is behind door. Is theory, anyway… But door stay closed! Is real brain buster! Ring seems like key, but no. Massif failure."

"But maybe small muscles mean big heads, da?" Big Massif piped up. "If cutlets open door, then they keep mountain treasure!"

"Massif Bros help! Head muscles FLEX!"

"Leave it to us!" Mario exclaimed.

With that, the adult bros used the Ball Hop on the rings that showed up on a pattern a few times. Eventually, the door opens up, leaving the Massif Bros amazed.

"UNBEBEEFABLE!" Big Massif beamed.

"Door opens!" Li'l Massif exclaimed. "We knew little cutlets had inner beef!"

"But who knew little cutlets were mountain maniacs?! Massif Bros give respect with meaty gift!" Big Massif then hands Mario some sort of slingshot, who puts it into his pocket. "Is mystery to us, past this point… But treasure must be near, da?!"

"Da! Come!"

They all wasted no time and headed into the door, leading them to an eerie cave. They looked around, high and low, but found no sight of treasure, until Baby Mario saw something up a huge ledge.

"Hey! I can see something up there!" he pointed.

To get up, the adult bros first used Baby Cakes on their baby selves to help them climb up through a tiny gap on the left. Once the babies were at the top, the bros hopped their way up with their Ball Hop move, followed up by Starlow and Dreambert floating up.

At the very top, resting on the light coming from the cracked ceiling, there was a dark purple bed frame.

"Is this…the mountain's treasure?" Starlow asked.

"Well, look at the shape! It has to be the Pajamaja Rock Frame!" Mario replied.

"I guess we can get going, then!"

"WAIT!" Dreambert stopped them. "This is indeed one of the Zee Parts we seek. There is no doubt it is the Pajamaja Rock Frame! However, clear your mind and truly SEE it! It's petrified by a nightmare chunk!"

"Now that you mention it… It DOES look ominous." Starlow inspected the frame. "In that state, we shouldn't use it to make the Ultibed."

"Not if I sleep on it!" Luigi interfered.

"Ah, I get you. We go into the dream world and break the chunk?"

"Correct. It appears to be our only choice." Dreambert nodded. "Mario Bros. Do your best!"

"We'll do!" Baby Mario exclaimed.

Dreambert turns into his pillow form on the frame before Luigi sleeps on him to make the Dream Portal open. Mario and the babies then dove into the portal.

* * *

In Dreamy Mount Pajamaja, the Nightmare Chunk was huge and trapped inside a large block of ice. However, the path to it was cut off for both brothers, so they had to find a way to break the ice.

After finding the Luiginoid Formation Work, Mario used the Wrecking Ball move to shatter the ice and the Chunk. They made their way back to the Dream Portal.

* * *

With everyone back in the real world, they watched the frame wiggle and emit colorful sparkles before regaining its wood color. With that, they picked up the Pajamaja Rock Frame. Just three more parts left!

"I can't believe that could happen to one of the parts…" Starlow remarked. "How could it get hit by a nightmare chunk?"

"The chunks flew everywhere when Antasma broke the stone. One must have flown here and landed directly on it." Dreambert explained.

"Well, thank god we got it back to normal!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Yes, this is fortunate. It is now safe to use!"

"I wonder how the others are doing…" Mario wondered as they were making their way out of the cave.

* * *

 _ **Mushrise Park team: finding the Mushrise Tree Board**_

Amy, Rouge and Kirby were wandering around the park until they met up with Brickle again, who was standing by the broken fountain:

"BUH! I know ya, pink ball! And you two must be da blue hedgehog's friends!"

"Good to see you again, Brickle." Kirby smiled.

"Good timin', y'all. 'Cause I got a little favor ta ask."

"Sorry, but we're busy looking for something." Amy replied.

"Aww, you guys are always lookin' for somethin'! Whaddaya got in mind dis time, huh?"

"We're looking for the Mushrise Tree Board. Have you seen it around this park?" Rouge asked.

"BAHAHAHA!" Brickle laughed. "You know who you're talkin' to, pals? Come on! I know dis park like da back of my hand!"

"So you DO know about it! Where is it?!" Amy asked.

"BAHAHA! I'll tell ya… Just as soon as ya do me my favor! So we gotta deal, or what?"

" ***sigh*** oh boy…" Kirby sighed. "Fine, we'll do it."

"Dat's what I'm talkin' about! Let's get ta work!"

"Huh… Work?!"

"Here's what I want ya to do! You ready? ROCK CLEARIN'!"

"Wait… Isn't that what you pay your staff for?" Amy remarked.

"Well, a buncha monsters showed up same time dat castle did. My boys ain't…eh…equipped ta deal with stuff like dat."

"I see…" Rouge pondered.

"So go break the rocks round the places. Dere should be some at the southeast and northeast. Seriously, dere's a whole mess of rocks round them. Even you youngsters might have trouble with dem. Well, I'll be waitin' right here! Talk ta me when ya done."

"All right. See you later, Brickle." Amy said before the trio left.

"I think I'll go break the rocks at the southeast. Amy, Kirby, break the ones at the northeast." Rouge said.

Amy and Kirby nodded and went northeast while Rouge flew to the southeast. There, she broke the rocks with her Screw Kick, but she also had to fight some monsters in her path.

With Amy and Kirby, Kirby first swallowed one of the rocks to become Stone Kirby. Amy begins to smash some rocks with her Piko Piko Hammer and Stone Kirby creates a rock fist to smash the other rocks. Just like with Rouge, they also had to fight some enemies.

"Brickle wasn't kidding that there were monsters in here!" Amy grumbled as she whacks a Fly Guy R with her hammer.

"Yeah!" Stone Kirby groaned before turning into a stone block to crush a Goomba R.

* * *

 _ **An hour later…**_

The trio was finally done with clearing all the rocks in the park, so they went back to Brickle to let him know.

"Buh! You guys got good news for me?" he asked in curiosity.

"Yep, we broke all of the rocks." Kirby responded.

"That's what I'm talkin' 'bout! I knew you guys had it in ya! A deal's a deal. Follow me…"

The trio followed Brickle, passing by his Maintenance Hut until they reached a tree's decayed trunk and sitting on it was a shining board with two tons of purple decorated with aqua-green spirals.

"OK, ready?" Brickle spoke. "Dis is what you been lookin' for… DA MUSHRISE TREE BOARD!"

"This…is the Mushrise Tree Board?" Amy asked.

"Well…uh…yeah. Of course! I think…"

That's where Amy, Kirby and Rouge became silent, until…

"YOU DON'T KNOW?!" Amy suddenly yelled in complete shock at Brickle's face, while Rouge and Kirby put their palms over their faces. "You made us do all that manual labor… And you didn't know if it was the Mushrise Tree Board?!"

"Hey now! How was I s'posed ta know?!" Brickle protested.

"Oh, sure. Convenient." Amy rolled her eyes.

"Back when dis park was still a big muddy field… I found dis thing while I was tillin' da soil. Yup, my life hadn't been goin' so hot back den… I came to dis island to get a fresh start, y'know? I thought maybe if I made da park nice, SHE'D return… Anyhoo… Dat was round da time I found dat board. Don't look like no ordinary board, do it? Nah, dere's definitely somethin' special 'bout it."

"Hmm, hold up…" Kirby checks the pamphlet. "Hey! This board matches the board in the pamphlet! It really is it! THE MUSHRISE TREE BOARD!"

"YAY!" Amy cheered.

"Ha! I knew it!" Brickle grinned.

"Phew."

"Now dat we're square, I gotta get back ta work."

"Thank you, Mr. Brickle." Amy thanked and Brickle left. Rouge then picks up the Mushrise Tree Board. Only two more parts remaining!

"The Mushrise Tree Board looks kind of…weird to my taste. Not exactly a valuable treasure…" Rouge examines the board.

"I wonder if that board really did come from a tree." Amy wondered.

"Well, according to the pamphlet, the legendary Mushrise Tree, the tree from where the Tree Board came from, grows in this area." Kirby explained. "This board is the only thing left after the tree decays."

"So the tree turns into a board when it dies? Incredible! I hate to say it, but Brickle really came through for us."

"You're right. Now let's head back to the castle and wait for the others!"

They made their way out of the park.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **The next chapter will show the other two teams hunting for the Dozing Mattress and the Driftwood Jellyfish Sheets respectively! Please review.  
**


	20. Gathering the Zee Parts, part 2

**Here's the next chapter! I'll try not to delay for too long!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Finding the Zee Parts, part 2**

 _ **Dozing Sands team: finding the Dozing Mattress**_

Jewel, Yoshi, Silver, Blaze and Ribbon Girl wandered around the desert, until they came upon Britta and her henchmen, trying to break through a wall for some reason.

"CUT IT!" Britta yelled at her workers. "You! Clod! What in the world are you doin'?! We ain't moved an inch in hours!"

"S-s-sorry, ma'am!" one of the workers apologized nervously. "It's just… This wall is REALLY hard and thick…"

"Gotta say, I think breaking through this is impossible…" the other one stated.

"SHUT IT!" Britta stormed, startling the workers. "Pathetic… Oh, waah, waah, right? Can't break it, right? Well, here's an idea for you, you giant babies. Just go OVER it! Huh? HOW SIMPLE IS THAT?! Just… MAN UP! DO THE JOB!"

"WHOA-YES!" both workers exclaimed.

"Haah… This ain't gonna work… Forget it! Just keep workin' over there!"

"Yes, boss!" the workers rushed off past the group.

"Hey, excuse us, Britta?" Jewel called out.

"Oh, hey, your highness!" Britta replied.

"Just what was going on here?" Blaze asked.

"Well, we hit a… DEAD STUPID END! Can't work on the far side because of this giant wall! And I am FEELIN' some treasure just over it, too… I wish we could just, like, fly over it or somethin'… Yeah, right, when Goombas fly. Anyway, grousin' won't solve it. I'm gonna stop wastin' time daydreamin' and get to work!" she then leaves.

"Fly over it, huh? I can handle this!" Silver grinned.

He then uses his ESP powers to lift himself and everyone up the ledge.

"Wow! I guess I made the right team choice!" Jewel beamed.

"We could never of have gotten up if it wasn't for Silver!" Ribbon Girl smiled. "Alright, let's see what's up ahead!"

"Didn't Britta mention a treasure somewhere here?" Yoshi remarked.

"She did! Could it be the Dozing Mattress?"

"One way to find out." Blaze said.

They proceeded to wander around this new part of the desert and taking out some Bandits along the way, and these guys really brought Yoshi some bad memories.

" _I can't believe they've also made their way to this island…_ " Yoshi thought annoyed while fighting one of the Bandits.

Soon, they went inside a green Pipe, taking them to an underground cave. After some more wandering, they soon came upon a rainbow-like stalactite.

"Whoa, look at this stalactite!" Yoshi awed. "Such a mysterious color! All glowy and pretty…"

"Wait… I've seen this mineral in my father's books!" Jewel exclaimed. "According to them, this is an extremely rare type of mineral called Dozing Ore. Water penetrates the ore and distills within it... It leaks back out as what they refer to as Dozing Drops!"

"Wow… Trickling down over such a long time span…" Silver said.

"And turning into something new…" Ribbon Girl added. "Nature is so, SO awesome!"

"Jewel, by those books, you know pretty much everything about this island, huh?" Blaze grinned.

" ***giggle*** I suppose that's correct! It is my home, after all!" Jewel giggled. "Anyway, allow me to illustrate with one more important detail that the books said! When the Dozing Drops become solid… They form into the Dozing Mattress! Which is what we're looking for!"

"WHAAAT?!" the rest of the group exclaimed in surprise.

"So that means… It's below this rock?!" Silver guessed. They then heard dripping noises coming from the Dozing Ore.

"That explains it!" Jewel smiled. "Everyone! We must press onward! The Dozing Mattress is somewhere below!"

They all nodded and went down, only to find a simple log chunk floating on the water…and nothing else.

"Umm… So this is supposedly the Dozing Mattress?" Yoshi tilted his head.

"Doesn't look mattressy… No way this is it!" Ribbon Girl shook her head. They all stared at Jewel.

"What? Seriously. Don't stare at me… It's creeping me out!" Jewel protested.

"Oh yeah? Where is it? You said the Dozing Mattress was here." Silver spoke. "The only thing here is this old, weird-looking log chunk!"

"My… My father's books would never lie! It must be somewhere around here!"

"Hold on, what is this?" Blaze noticed something on the log; it was a dark purple gem. Her speech caught everyone's attention. "It looks like a Chaos Emerald!"

"Wait, what?! Don't touch it, let me see something." Jewel pulled out her Magical Pillow, and watched it turn red. "My pillow changed color! So it IS a Chaos Emerald!"

"Hey! Maybe that's the Chaos Emerald Knuckles had dropped!" Silver stated. "Who knew it would fall in a place like this?"

"But how did the Emerald get trapped in a nightmare?" Blaze asked.

Yoshi then looked around the area, and noticed the bright light around it. "Perhaps it's because that log's surroundings is a Dreampoint?"

"Oh, it might be!" Jewel concluded. "Remember that the Chaos Emeralds became trapped in a nightmare when they're in a Dreampoint? So when Knuckles dropped the Emerald, it must of have fallen right here and due to the curse, it became trapped in a nightmare! And because there was no one holding it, no one became trapped in the Dream World like all of Sonic's friends!"

"That makes sense!" Ribbon Girl confirmed. "But what about the Mattress?"

"I guess it might be in the Dream World, since it's nowhere to be seen here. So we should delve in!"

"How? We don't have Luigi and Dreambert with us." Silver pointed out.

"I know, but since the Emerald has no victims, you all can get into the Dream World through it!"

"You're right!" Blaze exclaimed. "Well, we have no other choice; we must enter the Dream World through the Emerald."

"Remember, all you have to do is to find the Nightmare Chunk and you'll get out of there as well as freeing the Emerald!"

"Got it."

With that, Yoshi, Silver, Blaze and Ribbon Girl touched the Emerald while Jewel placed her Magical Pillow on the log before resting on it. In an instant, the quartet was sucked right inside the Emerald.

* * *

In Dreamy Dozing Sands, Yoshi, Silver, Blaze and Ribbon Girl appeared in a flash, but…something seemed off…

"Uh…guys?" Silver spoke nervously.

"What?" Blaze asked.

"…Why are we standing in midair?"

"Huh? What do you mea-..." that's where Ribbon Girl and the others looked down. "…oh."

As anybody would expect…

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" they all screamed while falling down.

They all landed right where Dreamy Jewel showed up. Silver, Blaze and Ribbon Girl fell face-first into the sand while Yoshi ended up getting stuck in the ground, due to him falling straight.

"Oh my! Are you guys okay?" Dreamy Jewel asked in concern.

"Yeah, we're fine…" Silver lifts his head.

"Um, I don't think the same can be said for Yoshi…" Blaze looked behind her to see Yoshi struggling to get out of the ground.

"Guys… A little help here?" Yoshi requested.

The group worked together and successfully pulled Yoshi out of the ground.

"Thanks." Yoshi thanked them. Then, he saw something above him. "Eh? What's that?"

Everyone looked up and saw a sparkling mattress-like object sharing the same color as the Dozing Ore.

"Is that…" Ribbon Girl breathed.

"Yes! It is! That's the Dozing Mattress!" Dreamy Jewel beamed.

The group wasted no time and grabbed it. It was very soft and fluffy. Only one more part left!

"Well, that was pretty easy, was it not?" Silver said.

"Yeah, but we now have to find the Nightmare Chunk somewhere to get out of here." Blaze told.

"This might be quite rough, because I don't have the same powers as Dreamy Luigi does." Dreamy Jewel shook her head.

The group wandered around the Dream World for a while until they finally found the Nightmare Chunk. They shattered it, and a Dreamy Red Chaos Emerald came out of it. Silver picks it up and it emits a bright red glow as everything turns white and the petrified Emerald in the real world began to wiggle and release colorful sparkles.

* * *

Back in the real world, Jewel woke up and watched the Emerald shoot out Yoshi, Silver, Blaze and Ribbon Girl as it regained its red color.

"At last, all Chaos Emeralds are restored." Silver grinned as he puts the Emerald in his quills.

"And we got the Dozing Mattress!" Jewel added. "Hmm, that could mean one thing: the drops were petrified in the dream world along with the Emerald! Of course!"

"Anyways, we should get going now." Blaze said.

"Yes, back to my castle!"

* * *

 _ **Driftwood Shore team: finding the Driftwood Jellyfish Sheets**_

Team Sonic was sprinting around the beach, searching for any clues about the Jellyfish Sheets. They soon came upon some ruins, but a wall was blocking the way.

"This kinda looks like a door… But there isn't a handle or keyhole." Knuckles inspected.

"Let's try asking Broque Madame about it." Tails suggested.

The team rushed to Broque Madame's shop.

"Oh, chéris… You have zee good timing, honh?" Broque Madame spoke. "Hee hee… I want to show you zis thing…"

The team looked at each other before approaching Broque Madame.

"Um… We're kind of in the middle of somethi-"

"C'est la vie! Zee road to joy is full of detours." Broque Madame interrupted Tails.

"Err…OK?"

"Look at zis…" she showed them some sort of old lithograph.

"What's that?" Sonic asked.

"I found zis lithograph…while stretching my legs on zee beach! It is…how you say…antique and…classy, oui? Any madame of class…knows exactly what zis is!"

"Well, geez, I can't tell what it is, so…"

"Wait a sec. Are these… Pi'illo characters?!" Tails inspected the lithograph. "I wonder if my translator device can translate Pi'illo characters…" he pulls out his translator device (the same one from _Sonic Colors_ ) and uses it to scan the Pi'illo characters. "Hey! It can!" he begins to read the translated information silently. "Ah… I see… What?!"

"Just tell us what it says already!" Knuckles demanded.

"Pirates once roamed the seas in this region. This lithograph appears to contain information… I believe it refers to the treasure of those pirates."

"PIRATES?! TREASURE?!"

"Hmm… Hey! What if the treasure is the Jellyfish Sheets we're looking for?" Sonic guessed.

"That could be a possibility, so it's worth checking it out!" Tails replied. "And as for the location of the treasure… There is a hidden cave somewhere on this beach! But the lithograph doesn't say exactly where it is. There's also some sort of code to open the cave here."

"A code?! What do you mean, a code?" Knuckles asked.

"Ah… I'm not entirely sure yet. But it could be related to that door we saw back there!"

"Hee hee hee…" Broque Madame chuckled. "Oui, zee passion of adventure sizzles! Zee lithograph… You may have it!"

"All right, let's go check that door again!" Sonic said.

The team exited the shop and went all the way back to the ruins.

"So this door must be blocking the way to the cave!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"Oh! There's more Pi'illo text up here!" Tails flew up and saw more Pi'illo characters carved in one of the stones. He took out his translator device and scanned the characters. "Hmm… It says… 'Utter the code if you wish to enter.'"

"It has to be the code on the lithograph!" Sonic concluded.

"Right, I'll just say the code that was written on the lithograph. Ahem… PI'ILLO WILLOW ARMADILLO!"

They waited…and nothing happened. Sonic and Knuckles stared at Tails.

"Don't look at me! I didn't make it up!" Tails protested while sweating.

All of a sudden, they heard a noise coming from the door. They looked at it and watched it opening it up.

"Ah, it's open!" Tails exclaimed. " _Phew…_ "

"Alright, let's go find that treasure!" Knuckles exclaimed as the team walks in.

However, unknown to them, some people have followed them:

"It opened?!"

"They're huntin' treasure!"

"Ooh, score!"

"Now's our chance!"

Who could those be…?

* * *

Anyway, back with the team in the cave, they wandered around for a bit, until they finally spotted a large ivory clam. Inside of it was a transparent blue sheet hanging on a pink and purple corals.

"Is this…the Jellyfish Sheets?" Knuckles guessed.

"By the pamphlet, it is!" Tails beamed. "The Driftwood Jellyfish Sheets!"

"All right!" Sonic fist pumped.

"TOUGH LUCK!" suddenly, a voice yelled.

Team Sonic noticed a trio of Fly Guys R up ahead.

"Led us right to it!" one of them smirked.

To the team's surprise, the Fly Guys R sprinted right past them as fast as Sonic's speed, and snatched the Jellyfish Sheets!

"What the-?! HEY!" Sonic shouted.

"See ya!" too late: the Fly Guys R took off with the sheets before the team could react.

"NO! They stole the sheets from us!" Knuckles growled.

"We can't let them get away!" Tails hollered. "We must get the sheets back!"

Using their super speed, the team dashed out of the cave. Outside, they saw the Fly Guys R exiting the beach.

"After them!" Sonic demanded.

The team continued to follow them, taking them all the way back to the Pi'illo Blimport area. They watched the Fly Guys R stopping to take a break:

"Phew! There's no way they'll catch us now!"

"Let's take a breather!"

"Heh heh heh! Birds…"

"There they are!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"It looks like they're taking a break…" Tails said.

"Yeah, and they put the sheets down." Sonic added. They then heard the Fly Guys R talking again:

"Bowser's gonna flip when he sees what we got!"

"Yeah, I'm hoping for a promotion!"

"Heh heh heh… My shoulders hurt."

"This is our chance! Let's take them down!" Knuckles spoke up.

"The only problem is… If we fight them, we may damage the sheets." Tails stated.

"Don't worry, I have a plan!" Sonic smirked while rubbing his nose. He whispered the plan to his team.

"Wow, Sonic! I had no idea you could be so…devious!" Knuckles exclaimed. "I love it. Let's get those sheets back."

"Yeah!" Tails cheered.

What was Sonic's plan? Having Tails sneak by to get the sheets while Sonic and Knuckles make the distractions. As Tails was slowly sneaking by the Fly Guys R, one of them exclaimed:

"I'm loving this weather!"

"Hey, have you heard?" they suddenly heard Sonic's voice on the other side. The Fly Guys R looked to their right to see Sonic and Knuckles having a conversation, completely unaware of Tails sneaking on by.

"Heard what, complete stranger?" Knuckles asked while grinning.

"The latest juicy rumor… ABOUT BOWSER?" Sonic responded with a smirk.

"Huh?" one of the Fly Guys R tilted his head.

"WELL…" Sonic pretends to whisper in Knuckles's ear.

"No way!" Knuckles pretends to look surprised. "A birthmark THERE? In the shape of THAT?"

"OH, IT GETS BETTER." Sonic once again pretends to whisper more information in Knuckles's ears.

"Wait… Where is Master Bowser's birthmark?!" the Fly Guy R in the middle asked.

"AND WHAT SHAPE IS IT?!" the Fly Guy R on the left asked loudly, causing Sonic and Knuckles to turn their heads to them and approach them.

"I must know!" the Fly Guy R on the right demanded for the answer.

"Yoink!" Tails finally manages to snatch the sheets, catching the Fly Guys R's attention, and they found out that Tails got the sheets.

"THIEVES!" they yelled at Team Sonic.

"WE'RE the thieves?! YOU'RE the thieves!" Sonic and Knuckles teased in unison before high-fiving each other.

"GIVE 'EM!"

"Bring it on, suckers!" Knuckles cracked his fists, ready to fight.

The Fly Guys R brought with them each a Goomba R and dropped them towards each of the team's heads, but Knuckles knocked the three Goombas R back at the Fly Guys R with an uppercut. Sonic and Tails then curled into balls and Knuckles grabbed hold of them.

"Take this!" he shouted before hurling Sonic and Tails towards each Fly Guy R (like in _Sonic Heroes_ ).

"Alright, let's go! Team Blast Attack!" Sonic hollered.

Team Sonic then did their Team Blast from _Sonic Heroes_ at the Fly Guys R, defeating them for good.

"Good riddance to these guys!" Sonic grinned.

"Indeed. And good thing we got those sheets back!" Tails smiled. "They look so soft!"

"Kinda surprising, considering…" Knuckles interfered. "You know…"

"What?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"Open your eyes, dude! They're made of jellyfish! They look soft, but they're probably all slimy and gross."

"Um…" Tails took a closer look at the sheets.

" ***sigh*** put that out of your mind, knucklehead. Seriously." Sonic sighed, causing Knuckles to glance at him with an annoyed look.

"Well, anyways…" Tails took the sheets. "Let's head towards the castle and wait for the rest."

The team makes their way to the castle's front.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Now that everyone have all of the parts of the Ultibed, it's now the time to look for a Bedsmith! Until then! Please review.**


	21. Shadow Thief no more

**Had a rough day yesterday; a blackout happened and I was unable to finish this chapter back then.**

 **But now that's finished, enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Shadow Thief no more**

Soon, the whole group gathered back at the front of Pi'illo Castle.

"So, did you all found the zee parts?" Jewel asked. Everyone then showed each part. "Great! We now have them all!"

"And we also found the last Emerald!" Silver added.

"Hey! That's the Emerald I dropped!" Knuckles exclaimed. "Where did you found it?"

"It was inside an underground cave at Dozing Sands where the Dozing Mattress was. It was encased in nightmare like with the other Emeralds but we freed it."

"At least all the Emeralds are freed." Sonic said. Silver then hands Sonic the Emerald and he puts it in his quills. " _I just hope this never happens to knucklehead again…_ " he thought while secretly rolling his eyes.

"Alright, now we just need to find the master bed crafter in Wakeport." Starlow spoke. "He's the only one who can assemble the five parts!"

"The master bed crafter… Yes, I remember now! If memory serves, his name is Bedsmith." Dreambert told.

"I believe due to what happened to the Pi'illo folk, he may also be trapped in a nightmare chunk." Mario suspected.

"Or he may be in the last place we expect him to be. We'll need to search high and low to find him."

"Well, according to the pamphlet, the Bedsmiths tend to gather at Wake Isle aka Wakeport, right?" Jewel stated. "So we should start our search there. Who's coming along?"

"I'll go with you too!" Amy offered.

" _Oh, boy…_ " Sonic thought, hesitant about having Amy with them.

"You know, I think I'll tag along as well." Rouge said.

"Great! Let's head to Wakeport!" Jewel exclaimed.

"We'll be hanging around in Mushrise Park. Good luck!" Blaze waved.

With that, Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Sonic, Kirby, Jewel, Ribbon Girl, Amy, Rouge, Starlow and Dreambert set off back to Wakeport.

* * *

Once there, they wandered around, where Starlow began to wonder:

"Where do you think this Bedsmith could be?"

"How should we even know?" Sonic questioned.

"Excuse me, have you heard of someone named Bedsmith?" Kirby asked a resident nearby.

"Who's Bedsmith?" the resident raised an eyebrow.

"…Oh. Never mind." Kirby came back to the group a little saddened.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure no one here ever heard of Bedsmith." Ribbon Girl said with a reassuring smile.

They kept wandering, until they saw Popple in the distance.

"Hey! Is that who I think it is?!" Sonic blurted.

"Yeah, that's Popple." Luigi replied unamused.

"Cripes! Took me a while, but I found it!" Popple exclaimed. "The secret of that Pi'illoper creep's house! Why hide the second floor entrance like that? It was right in front of my nose the whole time, see? JACKPOT! Heh heh! Those drips'll know I'm makin' for that second floor… But their snoopin' ain't gonna stop me, see? I swiped this here map from the info center… So findin' the way in will be a cinch! PERFECT! Heh heh! Soon as I snatch that loot, I'm bookin' it outta here!" he scurries off.

"I never understand a word he's saying…" Starlow sweatdropped.

"But catching all of what he said… It sounds like a Pi'illo collector lives there." Dreambert pointed out. "Maybe that's where Bedsmith is!"

"How in the world did that annoying loser made his way to this island?!" Sonic questioned, rather annoyed. "That's it, I'm going after him!" he unexpectedly dashes off.

"What the-?! Where is Sonic going?!" Mario said surprised.

"Hurry! We better catch up to him!" Jewel demanded.

The group rushed around to try to find Sonic. Soon, they've stumbled upon some ruins on another part of the place.

"Oh…" Starlow breathed. "Doesn't look like anyone comes back here!"

"Yeah. It's so different from the bustle of Wakeport." Rouge pointed out.

"The peace and quiet is a nice change of pace!" Baby Mario chirped.

They looked around from the platform they were on, until Baby Luigi spotted something at the left side:

"Hey! I can see two people over there!" he pointed.

They looked at the direction he was pointing, and they saw Popple approaching a flowery field while Sonic was sneaking behind a palm tree right behind Popple.

"So, I finally found the way to the hidden treasure." Popple said. "But what's that thing wanderin' around?!"

"La-la la laaaaa~!" a singing voice was heard on the flowery field.

That singing voice came from a large Wiggler wandering around the field, and Popple quickly hid behind a pillar, completely unaware of Sonic hiding behind the tree nearby.

"Traveling is kinda neat!" Wiggler sung. "But… All those people around really wear Wiggler out. Wiggler's missing the smell of Wiggler's garden!" he took a look of all the flowers. "There are a bunch of flowers around here! And there aren't a ton of people around!" then he got an idea: "WIGGLER'S GOT IT! Wiggler will make a large field of flowers right here! That should help Wiggler relax! OK, let's get to it!"

"That weird bug thing is patrollin' the area…" Popple peaked out. "Smells like the fuzz." Then, it dawned on him: "That collector musta hired… A SECURITY GUARD! Popple ain't gonna mess this one up, see? Gotta be real cautious-like." He spoke, seemed to not hear that Wiggler was just there to harmlessly plant flowers.

" _Did he seriously not hear what that pacific Wiggler just said?!_ " Sonic thought from his hiding spot. " _He was already annoying back at the Beanbean Kingdom, but now I'm seriously gonna kick his butt!_ "

With that, he stepped out of his hiding spot and Popple noticed him.

"Scram! I'm busy! Can't you see?" he scoffed. "It's either nab that loot or go home empty handed. The Shadow Thief's reputation is on the line! Got that? I said scram!"

"… _What?! How come he doesn't recognize me?_ " Sonic thought while raising an eyebrow. " _Whatever. Now that he's occupied, I should go check what's up ahead._ " He began to silently walk forward without catching Popple's attention, until…

"SONIC!" Amy's yell suddenly came. Sonic turned around and saw her approaching him along with the rest of the group. "How could you leave us like that?!" she growled.

"Hey, hold up! This way you'll-…"

"NYAH!" unfortunately, Amy's yell had caught Popple's attention to them and he quickly pushed everyone back. "Don't go near that thing, ya palookas!"

"Uh…what?" Luigi tilted his head.

"Oh, boy… These drips again. What's with you mugs, anyway?! You keep crashin' my parties… AH-HAAA! Heh! You guys…are thieves too, ain't ya?"

"What?! Of course not, loser!" Sonic retorted while the rest of the group shook their heads.

"The Shadow Thief knows a thief when he sees one! Yeah, yeah. It all makes sense now. I always run into your bearded mugs… Every time I'm about to lift somethin'! No wonder…you all showed up right now!"

"What in the world are you talking about?!" Ribbon Girl questioned.

Then, Popple had an idea:

" _I can use these drips to KO the security guard! Then I'll steal the loot from under their noses! That's the ball game, see? The Shadow Thief wins!_ " he then walked back to the group. "HEAR ME OUT! We're all after the same thing, yeah? Let's team up!"

"Huh?!" the group flinched, looking at each other.

"Before we can get to the loot inside that house… We gotta knock off fuzzy-wuzzy there. You know… The fuzz? Criminy! Buncha amateurs." He directs to the Wiggler. "That buggy mug there is a security guard! He was hired by that freak Pi'illo collector!"

"Hmm…" Wiggler walked to an empty space in the field. "If Wiggler plants some red flowers around here… Wiggler could plant veggies over there!"

" _And he STILL didn't hear anything from that Wiggler!_ " Sonic thought annoyed as Popple continues:

"Yeah, he's got the joint locked down real tight. You can't tell from his face, but he's a real bruiser! OK, ya drips. Let's do this!"

"I…think he's just planting flowers. He's not trying to harm us…" Baby Luigi spoke politely.

"HA! That's what he WANTS ya drips to believe, see?" Popple did not believe what Baby Luigi said. "As soon as we step into his radar, he'll clobber all of us! We're gonna ice this fuzzball right now, see?"

"Sorry, but we won't do it." Mario settled, with everyone shaking their heads.

"No way we'll work together with a loser like you!" Sonic refused.

Popple paused for a moment, until he replied: "Relax, will ya? We're just gonna talk! OK! Let's try that again!"

The group had no other choice, so they shrugged to each other before following Popple towards the Wiggler.

"HEY!" Popple called loudly.

"AAAAH!" Wiggler jumped in startle. "You can't just walk in here like that! Wiggler's building a garden here!"

"Shutcha trap and beat it, punk!" Popple growled.

"WHAT?!" Wiggler retorted. "How dare you insult Wiggler in Wiggler's flower sanctuary! Wiggler found this place first. Fair and square!"

"Nyah ha ha!"

All of a sudden, Popple shoved the group right towards Wiggler, completely catching them off guard!

"Whoa! What are you doing?!" Mario wasn't expecting that.

"Bring it on, ya wannabe moth!" Popple took on a fighting stance. "THESE GUYS and I WILL CREAM YA!"

"Did you just say… Moth?!" Wiggler's eye twitched. "Wiggly Wiggler… Is full of… RAAAAAAGE!" he suddenly turns red, flinching everyone.

"HA! So it's time for the fists, eh? Then this drip's gotta go!" Popple smirked. "I'll take the first shot, see? You mugs watch a master!"

Popple then climbs on top of Wiggler's head and starts pulling on his flower, causing him to get extremely mad and bonks his head on the ground, creating shockwaves.

"Look out!" Jewel warned, and the group jumped over the shockwaves to avoid them.

Wiggler lifts his head roughly, and Popple was launched into the air by the momentum, about to land on Mario, but he knocked him back at the Wiggler with his hammer.

"Hey! Your turn, palookas! Give it the old one-two!" Popple exclaimed once he landed on the ground, seemed to not care about being hit by Mario.

"Do we really have to do this?" Baby Luigi asked, hesitant about fighting Wiggler who was just a pacific creature.

"We have no other choice." Mario replied while shrugging before he and Luigi stomps Wiggler's head.

Wiggler next charges after the heroes, but they dodged. However, Wiggler came right back from the other side, charging again for them, but they managed to dodge again. But during this event, Popple had clung onto Amy.

"H-Hey! Get off of me!" Amy growled. She summons her Piko Piko Hammer and whacks Popple on the head before sending him towards a palm tree, where a few coconuts landed on his head.

"Ooogh… That girl's got guts…" Popple groaned.

"INCOMING!" Sonic suddenly yelled when Wiggler suddenly became red again and started chasing after the group, who immediately ran away.

After that, Ribbon Girl stuns Wiggler with her Sparky in both arms, giving a chance for Jewel to cast a pink blast with her Blast Pink Tourmaline, dealing heavy damage to Wiggler.

"Hm, that gave me an idea. Luigi, let's use this slingshot that the Massif Bros gave to us to finish off that Wiggler!" Mario called out, pulling out the Slingsniper.

"Okey-Dokey!" Luigi replied.

Once Mario sets the Slingsniper a few feet away from Wiggler, Luigi climbs inside it and Mario begins to pull the rope backwards while aiming for Wiggler. After stretching the rope to maximum, Mario lets go of it and Luigi was sent flying towards Wiggler. The hit was critical, and Wiggler tumbled on the ground.

But when it seemed that it was over, Popple had recovered from the heavy hit that Amy dealt to him and turned against the heroes.

"Say, what gives? Downed! KO'd! Just gotta deal with you mugs, and THE TREASURE'S MINE!" Popple smirked.

"That's what you think!" Sonic hissed and does a Homing Attack at Popple before he could react.

"Ow! Hey! That's cheating!"

"Ha! They don't call me 'fastest thing alive' for another reason!"

"Call yourself The Shadow Thief as much as you want, because I'm the most expert jewelry thief right here!" Rouge growled as she does a Screw Kick at Popple. "Not to mention that WE need that treasure more than you!"

"And I've built this item to finish you off!" Jewel finished before pulling out a blue disc with a yellow propeller on top of it. "Young Mario Bros! Take this! The Dropchopper!"

Jewel tosses the Dropchopper in the air and its propeller spins by itself. Baby Luigi grabbed hold of the Dropchopper first, then Baby Mario, who clung onto Baby Luigi's legs as the Dropchopper was approaching Popple from midair. Once they were right above Popple, the babies drilled down with the Dropchopper into the Shadow Thief with tremendous force.

With that, Popple also faced defeat to the heroes.

"Yeeowch…" he groaned dizzily.

"That really hurt! Why are you so mean?" Wiggler lamented once he stood up. "All Wiggler wanted was to make a flower garden. The flowers are Wiggler's good friends…"

That's where it dawned on Popple:

"You're tellin' me… We fought… Over a stupid…" his eye begins to twitch. "F-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-fffffffffffffff… FLOWER GARDEN?!"

"Don't insult Wiggler's flower friends!" Wiggler retorted. His skin turns red again. "You jerk! WIGGLER MAKES YOU PAY!"

"YEEEEEEEOW!" Popple yelled as he ran for dear life when Wiggler began chasing him. "That's it! I'm done with this stupid island!"

"Finally he's gone!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Yeah, he got what he deserved." Rouge crossed her arms.

"Sigh… Why'd we get involved in this mess?" Starlow sighed while questioning.

"Well, at least Popple is finally gone now." Mario said. "And the island is better off for it!"

"Speaking of better off… The house that he was trying to break into… That's that Pi'illo-collector guy's house, right?" Luigi remarked.

"I guess so. Maybe we can find a clue about Bedsmith."

"Alright, let's get out of here." Jewel finished.

* * *

The group left the area and walked along the path above to reach that house from the upper floor. There, they saw a Beanish person with a Pi'illo-shaped mask speaking to himself:

"That smell… I'd know it anywhere!" the group then approaches him. "Even though it's allergy season… I can smell that you guys have… Pi'illo stuff!" he suddenly dashes close to them, which made them almost jump.

"You almost startled us!" Ribbon Girl spoke surprised.

"Ahem… Sorry, guys. Got a little excited! So let me just introduce myself. I am the foremost living expert on Pi'illo culture. You may call me Pi'illoper! Pi'illo-ed to meet you!"

"Um, nice to meet you as well, Pi'illoper." Jewel replied a little embarrassed.

"I know fellow Pi'illo enthusiasts when I see them. Let's be… Pi'illo pals! I bet I know why you guys came by… It's my collection of Pi'illo artifacts, right?" everyone nodded. "Ahya! Hya hya! I'll give you a look. But first I gotta peek at YOURS!"

" _Ours…?_ " the group thought the same thing while pondering.

"This guy is… Wow." Starlow said. "Let's show him what we've got."

" _What we've got? Oh! That's it! The Zee Parts!_ " Mario thought and whispered to his friends about what he thought.

"I doubt you have any Pi'illo stuff that will impress me…" Pi'illoper doubted. That's when Mario first showed him the Pajamaja Rock Frame, which made him squeal like a fangirl: "SQUEEEEP! Th-that's… I've seen this before in my favorite magazine! Pi'illo Power, issue #43, page 29! Oh golly molly! A Zee Part! That's the Pajamaja Rock Frame!"

"Oh, and this doesn't stop here!" Mario grinned and directed to his friends to show the next Zee Part. Luigi then steps in and shows the Dozing Mattress.

"GWAHAY! C-c-could that be the… Dozing Mattress?!" next, Kirby shows the Mushrise Tree Board. "FACE…NUMB! That wood grain! The Mushrise Tree Board!" then, Sonic shows the Driftwood Jellyfish Sheets. "GYAAACK! Th-the Driftwood Jellyfish Sheeeets!" finally, Jewel shows the Zeekeeper's Feathers. "I LOVE YOU! And… GOLLY MOLLY! Zeekeeper's Feathers!" Pi'illoper begins to pant after all that excitement: "Huff… Huff… Huff…"

"You okay?" Amy asked.

"I… I haven't been… Hooooooo… This excited… Huff… Since that time… Phew… I found that old pillow."

Just by hearing the word 'old pillow' made the group's eyes perk up.

"Did you say 'old pillow'?" Starlow asked.

"Yes… It's right in my collection room. I am not worthy! Let me show you my collection!" Pi'illoper replied. "Follow me! Come visit my Pi'illo wonderland!"

The group followed Pi'illoper down to a pipe, taking them to the basement, where all of the Pi'illo-related things Pi'illoper collected were displayed.

" _Wow, he sure does have a taste for the Pi'illos…_ " Jewel thought while looking around.

"Welcome to my collection room, my Pi'illo pals! Please make yourselves at home! Bask in Pi'illoper's secret collection!" Pi'illoper exclaimed.

The group thanked him and spread around to do some sightseeing.

"Showing my collection to fellow Pi'illo enthusiasts… This is what I live for! Squeeeeeeeeep!" Pi'illoper silently squeals.

"Umm… We've seen dozens of these in Pi'illo Castle. I guess you don't have what we're looking for." Starlow spoke. Everyone agreed with her, causing Pi'illoper to flinch:

"Impossible! NOT IMPRESSED?! NOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Uh… I think we just upset him…" Kirby pointed out.

"This is the worst day of my entire liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiife!" then, something came into his mind: "NO! Wait! You haven't even seen my most prized item!"

"Most prized item?" Starlow raised an eyebrow.

"You're gonna flip when you see this! SUPER-RARE PILLOW!" he takes out nothing than a… Petrified Pi'illo! Everyone's eyes perked up by that. "HA! Impressed yet? Yeah, thought so. The pattern on this pillow is one of a kind."

"THAT'S IT!" all of a sudden, Dreambert out of nowhere jumps towards the pillow, knocking Pi'illoper down:

"GAH!"

"This pattern… I am certain!" Dreambert exclaimed, examining the pillow. "This is the bed master, Bedsmith!" the group jumped in joy by the news.

"Then that means… If we fix this pillow… We can get him to make the Ultibed?!" Starlow guessed.

"AAAAAAH!" of course Pi'illoper would flip out upon seeing Dreambert. "P-P-PI'ILLO?! Oh golly molly! He's alive? He's MOVING?! How is this even possible?!"

"Greetings. You appear to be going into shock…" Dreambert said. "But would it be okay if we kept this pillow?"

"Y-yes, noble Pi'illo! You may keep it! You can even keep ME if you want!"

"That…won't be necessary." Dreambert shook his head a bit embarrassed. "Everyone!" he turned to the gang. "Shall we save Bedsmith?"

"Yeah!" the group exclaimed.

Luigi then rests his head on the pillow while Jewel rests on her Magical Pillow next to him. All Pi'illoper could do was watch astonished the Dream Portal open above Luigi's head and Mario and his friends jump in.

"WHOOOOOOA!" he exclaimed excitedly. "They just went inside of that! Is this really happening?!"

"You're gonna be fine, kid. Just take a deep breath!" Starlow assured.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter showing my personal favorite Giant Boss Battle in the game! Please review.  
**


	22. Here comes the Earthwake

**I've been quite busy these days, since my collage tests are about to arrive. But the weather wasn't helping as well... X(**

 **But I managed to find the perfect time to write and finish this chapter!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Here comes the Earthwake**

Upon arriving in the Dream World and meeting with Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel, Dreambert spoke:

"The Bedsmith must be trapped in a nightmare chunk! I sense but one nightmare chunk hidden here! Find it!"

"Alright, let's go!" Dreamy Jewel exclaimed and the group went ahead…only to find out that the chunk was actually closer than they thought. "…oh. How convenient…"

"But how are we gonna get it out?" Kirby wondered, approaching the chunk that was trapped inside a large block.

"Welp, I guess we have no other choice but to find a way to reach it. I doubt any of our powers would be enough to break it."

"Oh, NOW you tell us." Sonic rolled his eyes.

They wandered off in search for a way to open it, using the Luiginary Sneeze Wind to get through the areas with platforms that rotate with the wind. Once they reached the other side of where the chunk was, they eventually met up with the Dreamy version of Pi'illoper.

"Hya hyuh hyuh… Myuh hyuh huh…" he chuckled. "Golly molly, just think… Hyuh… A Pi'illo's inside there… So super exciting, golly, I'm even talking to myself. Hya hyuh huh… Brings a BIG smile to my face…"

The group just stood silent…

"Excuse me…" …until Mario broke it, causing Pi'illoper to jump in startle:

"HYAAAAH!" he started to sweat while backing away a little. "Oh! Gee! Wah! Guh!"

"Oh, sorry! Did I scare you?"

"Good golly molly! OF COURSE you scared the hell out of me!"

Dreamy Luigi cleaned his throat before asking: "So, were you talking about that nightmare chunk over there?"

"Hyuh." Pi'illoper nodded. "I trust you gentlemen and gentlewomen came to observe the nightmare chunk?"

"Yeah, I guess." Ribbon Girl answered while shrugging.

"I myself come here every day! Is this your first time?" everyone did a small nod. "Very well! As an aficionado of all things Pi'illo, I shall take this upon myself… It is now my duty, sirs and ladies, to inform you about this nightmare chunk! You see… Within it, a member of the Pi'illo folk lies in slumber. And keep it quiet… The Pi'illo within this particular nightmare chunk… Well, rumors abound that it is a Pi'illo unlike any other! In other words… Exceedingly… Exceptionally… Extremely rare! At least, that's the scuttlebutt among us dedicated enthusiasts."

" _Thanks for all this information that we all already know about…_ " Sonic thought while secretly rolling his eyes.

"Any questions thus far?"

"Well… How do we retrieve that nightmare chunk?" Amy asked.

"Hyuh, a bold question from an uninitiated!" Pi'illoper then thought for a moment before answering: "Welllllll… Hitting those blocks is SUPPOSED to release the nightmare chunk." He points to two exclamation point blocks in the air at each side of the block holding the chunk. "But it also supposedly unleashes a terrible, gigantic guardian…"

"A guardian?" Rouge questioned.

"Lore tells us that many have tried to touch the chunk… But the guardian's wrath was severe and horrible… Now none remain with the courage to attempt it."

The heroes looked at each other; they have no choice but to release that said guardian. After all, they must free the Bedsmith.

"Frankly, an enthusiastic of my caliber is content just observing it… In any case… I must retire to brainstorm my next Pi'illo Monthly article… I will take my leave." Pi'illoper leaves.

"Well then, we have no choice. Let's free this guardian, as risky as that may sound." Mario said and he and Dreamy Luigi went under each block. Dreamy Luigi hits his block first, and eventually…a bucket of water falls on top of him.

"OW!" he yelled in pain.

"Was that a bucket of water?" Kirby questioned.

"I hope it wasn't the ice bucket challenge…" Dreamy Jewel said.

"Very funny…" Dreamy Luigi grumbled while removing the bucket.

 **.WARNING. .UNAUTHORIZED. .EXIT NOW. !OR ELSE!**

Suddenly, a robotic voice came in.

"…What was that?" Ribbon Girl asked a bit frightened.

"That didn't sound good…" Baby Luigi trailed.

"It has to be the guardian that Pi'illoper told us." Dreamy Jewel suspected.

Mario then looks up at his block. "Here goes nothing…" he hits the other block.

Just then, an alarm sounded from the block from an antenna-like thing. The ground shook a little which startled the heroes.

"GOLLY MOLLY!" Pi'illoper came back to witness this event. "Gentlemen! Gentlewomen! Doom! DOOOOOM! The guardian approaches! The guardian I informed you of… He comes, and he is wroth!"

The ground shook again as the same robotic voice came:

 **.INTRUDERS. .EXPEL. .EXPEL. .BAD PEOPLE. !ENGAGE WRATH!**

"Well then, sirs and ladies. I now exit… Best of luck!" Pi'illoper scurries away.

"Thanks a lot…" Rouge spoke sarcastically.

"Uh, guys… Look under our feet…" Dreamy Jewel pointed down.

They saw the window-like object close itself and two of its tiles lit up in yellow, looking like a pair of eyes. The gang startled again, when the block shook under their feet, and they were now trying to keep their balance, but failed, and were launched off.

The block begins to float up in the air and takes off in the sky.

 **SYNCHRO OPTIMIZED… BOOT TRANS-MODE 1…**

With that, its antenna glows brightly. All of the buildings in the Dream World were pulled out of their respective places and flew towards the block. What resulted is that the buildings piled up together to create a massive body complete with arms and legs, and the block attached itself on the 'head' part of the body.

 **EARTHWAKE SYNCHED! ERADICATOR ONLINE!**

"Uh oh! Everyone, RUN!" Sonic panicked, and he and the group started to run away, except for Rouge who was flying, when they saw Earthwake chasing after them. Turns out that Dreamy Luigi began to glow green and at the Real World, Luigi covered his face with his cap with the emblem glowing during this moment, but the heroes were so frightened that none of them, including Dreamy Luigi, noticed that.

Already knowing what to do, Starlow touched and held down the emblem on Luigi's cap and all of the Luiginoids in the Dream World began to merge within Dreamy Luigi still running with his friends, completely unaware that he was growing.

But once he reached his maximum size, Dreamy Luigi finally noticed that his friends were tiny in comparison to him.

"…! Guys!" he shouted while screeching to a halt, but due to his low traction, he wasn't able to stop in time when Earthwake suddenly tackles him from behind. "WAH!" he nearly lost his balance. "Phew… I thought I was going to lose my balance and crush my friends!"

"It's okay, Luigi! We heard your warning!" Mario called out from below. Giant Luigi looked down and saw everyone.

"Oh, thank god!" Giant Luigi replied as the gang jumped on top of his cap once again. "Alright, bring it on, you big robot!"

"Hey! I see water up ahead!" Baby Mario pointed behind Earthwake.

"But there's water behind us too!" Baby Luigi looked behind.

"Uh oh…" Giant Luigi gulped.

"Luigi! Focus! Don't wig out!" Dreamy Jewel demanded. "Be at one with defeating this giant…town…monster. Try pushing it into the water before it pushes you instead!"

"O-Okay… I can do this!"

Without wasting time, Giant Luigi pulled out his hammer and does the Hammer Uppercut to send Earthwake backwards, and since it was a short distance, it landed into the water for the first time, making a big splash. When Earthwake emerged out, Giant Luigi whacked it rapidly like if he was whacking a mole before hammering it away in the distance.

Earthwake came back and summoned heavy blocks above its head, preventing Giant Luigi from hitting it with the hammer, so he did the Baby Drill Stomp with the babies to break the heavy armor on Earthwake's head.

Next, Earthwake separates its body into its component buildings, making them orbit around its head. Giant Luigi quickly hammered all building pieces away before Earthwake could send them to attack him and hammers the head away.

Earthwake came back with its body rebuilt, only to get sent backwards a bit by Giant Luigi's Hammer Uppercut, and Earthwake was now a few feet away from the water. Earthwake then conjures a giant ball made out of building pieces and hurls it at Giant Luigi, but he was able to jump over it and stand on top of it. He rolls the ball at Earthwake, sending it into the water for the second time.

After repeating the same process from back when Earthwake fell into the water for the first time, the giant robot came back once again, but the body parts collapsed on the floor and its head begins to float up, saying:

 **EARTH-A-WAKE!**

Once it rebuilt its body back, it then summoned more heavy blocks, but this time, they covered both its head and body. Since the babies have already rested enough, they alongside Giant Luigi performed the Baby Drill Stomp again, destroying Earthwake's entire armor in one go.

Now Earthwake looked more damaged than ever, and some of its buildings started to crumble.

 **BAD-DAMAGE! DAMAGE-BAD! BAD-PEOPLE! MUST DEFEAT!**

Earthwake begin its new attack: it transformed into a large hammer and swung horizontally at Giant Luigi, but he ducked under it in time. The hammer then swings in an overhead high arc at Giant Luigi, but he managed to counter it back with his hammer, sending it a few feet away.

Earthwake was now badly damaged and dazed, which was time for the heroes to finish it with the Finishing Team attack. They did it, and Earthwake was defeated.

With that, Dreamy Luigi returned to normal size and the gang watched the nightmare chunk float down to them.

"Well, we finally took care of that monster. Now let's smash that chunk and save Bedsmith!" Dreamy Jewel exclaimed.

"About time!" Sonic fist pumped.

Mario then shatters the chunk with his fist, freeing Bedsmith at last.

"BEDSMITH! IS! FREEEE! THANK YOUUUU!" Bedsmith thanked them before using its magic to send everyone back to the real world.

* * *

At the real world, the gang hopped out of the Dream Portal as Luigi and Jewel woke up. They then watched the lifeless pillow transform into Bedsmith.

"GRRR!" he growled like a feral lion. "Antasma! Show yourself, you miserable villain! My chisel of justice and hammer of anger await!" until he realized that there was no sight of Antasma anywhere. "Wait… Hm?" he looked around the room. "Where am I? What have I been doing all this time?!"

"BEDSMITH!" Dreambert called out.

"Oh! If it isn't the soft, fluffy, oh-so-nappable Prince Dreambert! The presence of such royalty… It truly makes one want to… Nap on you!" little hearts popped out of Bedsmith's head, causing everyone except Dreambert to raise their eyebrows.

"Um… Dreambert. Did he say…nap on you?" Rouge asked.

"Ah… He has ever been thus… He has…some strange notions…" Dreambert answered in an embarrassed tone. "But he's the best of the Bedsmiths! That's why he is called Bedsmith!"

"Oh, okay. If you say so…" Starlow replied.

"Hear me, Bedsmith! During that battle… We were all petrified by nightmare chunks! But I did save Princess Jewel's life, and she's right here, all grown up." Dreambert directed to Jewel. "Now she and her companions are helping us revive the other Pi'illos."

"Ah, is this so? I knew not that we Pi'illos were endured such suffering! BEDSMITH! IS! SHOCKED!" Bedsmith exclaimed.

"And that's not all…" Jewel interfered. "Antasma has returned to this island as well. He's joined up with Bowser! They want to conquer the world!"

"We need your assistance in order to stop them!" Dreambert finished.

"Ah… The steely visage of a prince and his princess in their hour of need… It makes one want to… NAP! ON! YOU!"

" _There he goes again… Did he just mention me as well?_ " Jewel thought while sweatdropping.

"But I… I am a simple bed maker. I create beauty, not destruction…"

"But that is just it!" Dreambert hollered.

"I understand. You mean me to destroy Antasma with raw artistic beauty."

That's where all of the heroes face-faulted.

"What? No. Seriously? You're a bed maker… We need you to make the Ultibed for us!" Dreambert corrected.

"THE ULTIBED?!" Bedsmith flinched. "I cannot do this! We would need…"

"…the five Zee Parts?" Sonic grinned once he and the others got back on their feet. "We already have them all right here!"

"I see… This does make our path easier! Let us make the Ultibed immediately!" Bedsmith begins to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?" Starlow asked.

"To Somnom Woods! For there is my shop. I will abide there, so bring the Zee Parts. It has been long… BEDSMITH! IS! PUMPED!" with that, Bedsmith left the room and headed directly to the woods.

"We should go as well!" Dreambert stated.

Everyone nodded and exited Pi'illoper's house. Speaking of Pi'illoper, he just stood there until he said:

"I have no idea what's going on… But as a Pi'illo enthusiastic… Being a part of this was… RAD! Huff… Whuff…"

* * *

Once the heroes made it to the Mushrise Park, Amy and Rouge decided to hang around along with the rest of Sonic's friends, but not before wishing luck to the main heroes.

"Bedsmith said he would be waiting in Somnom Woods." Starlow told the group. "We should head there as soon as possible!"

"Somnom Woods… It is a mystical old forest." Jewel informed. "It is very undeveloped and tourists are advised to not head there. I've heard in my father's books that there's an ancient temple in the heart of the woods."

"I am certain that this temple you're talking about is the Pi'illo Temple." Dreambert confirmed. "Believe it or not, Jewel, this was exactly the place where I took you before I was petrified."

"Wait, so that means…"

"That's right. The Somnom Woods was the very place you grew up until you reached 18. The Nommons, the creatures who raised you there, live in these woods. They are species as old as the Pi'illos, so they can live for a very long period of time."

"So I lived in the Pi'illo Temple during my childhood until I reached 18 when I moved to Pi'illo Castle? Wow…" Jewel breathed. "Ahem! Anyways, all we have to do is head east from here and we'll reach Somnom Woods in no time!"

"Alright! Let's-a go!" Mario exclaimed.

They all took off to the woods.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **The battle against Earthwake was my favorite Giant Battle in the game! Anyone who played _Bowser's Inside Story_ will recognize the main mechanic for this Giant Battle, which was the same one as the Tower of Yikk's mechanic. Timing is key to being good at this Giant Battle with Earthwake, and I absolutely took no damage from it the first time I played.  
**

 **Next up is Somnom Woods! Until then! Please review.**


	23. Sacred Somnom Woods

**Finally done with the next chapter!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 23: Sacred Somnom Woods**

The Somnom Woods is a mystical ancient forest located east of Mushrise Park. It was deeply underdeveloped and tourists are advised to not walk into the forest. The deepest part of these woods were dark because of the overgrown plants and trees with leaves shaped like four-leaf clovers, ruined Zeekeeper statues, the water has turned into poison and floor tiles being covered by thick grass. The name comes from 'somnambule', which means 'sleepwalking'.

"This sure is a very dark forest…" Jewel breathed. "I seriously can't believe I'm standing on the very location I grew up…"

"I don't know why, but something about this forest…creeps me out." Luigi stuttered.

"Oh, come on, Luigi. It's just the shade of those overgrown trees that makes this forest dark." Sonic said.

"I'm pretty sure there's more on this forest than just that." Ribbon Girl stated.

"Hey, look! There's Bedsmith!" Kirby pointed to where the Bedsmith was standing. The group immediately rushed to him.

"Long have I awaited you! The time for practice is over! The ideal spot to make the Ultibed is right through here." Bedsmith said.

"And… Where is it?" Starlow asked.

"Abide here." He flies to a giant rock shaped like a tree log. "I must focus… Look within… I put this here…and then do that…" a purple screw showed up, but he was too short to reach it. "TRAGEDY! The switch is too high… What to do… BEDSMITH! CAN'T! REACH!" he turned to the group. "Might you find a way to activate that switch?"

"Don't worry! We got it covered!" Mario exclaimed as he and Luigi used the Side Drill to screw the screw in, and eventually, the rock moved, revealing a passage up ahead.

"WOWWW! CRRAZY!" Bedsmith exclaimed. "BEDSMITH! IS! THRILLSMITH!"

"Ooogh… I still get dizzy from that move…" Luigi groaned dizzily before snapping out of it.

"Come, this way." Bedsmith said and flew up ahead.

The group followed him, dealing with some Beehosses that were more than happy to send bees to sting them, forcing Jewel to blind the bees' view with her Bright Tanzanite while the rest of the heroes attacked the Beehosses.

Soon they finally reached Bedsmith's Workshop, where he spoke:

"Ready at last! Produce the five parts that make the Ultibed!" the group immediately tossed in front of him all the five parts. "Quite a load. Astounding. To run around so laden is no mean feat…" then, to everyone's surprise, Bedsmith lifted all the parts at once with his hands! "MMPH! HOOGA!"

"…I have no words…" Ribbon Girl was speechless. They watched Bedsmith bring the parts to the inside of his shop and dropped them there.

"It is well! I must make my bed in private! Wait here!"

The group nodded and Bedsmith flew in, closing the door, but not before opening it again and warning: "I do not joke… Not even a peek! I must focus in order to make the Ultibed. The eyes of others will distract me." The group nodded again and Bedsmith closes the door again.

"Well, I guess that's understandable." Jewel shrugged.

Then, all of a sudden, a silhouette of Bedsmith showed up from the door, and everyone was able to see him working on the bed…in a rather interesting way?

"What the… Is he using a chainsaw?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"…And now he's using a jackhammer." Mario sweatdropped.

"What is he even doing? It's like he's destroying concrete rather than making a bed!" Luigi stated.

And to make things even weird…earthquakes came next.

"AAH!" which startled the baby brothers.

"What… How…" Dreambert was out of words. "I absolutely don't know what to say about this…"

Finally, the door opened up and Bedsmith came out.

"And all is well! The bed is made!" he shows the Ultibed to the heroes. "Voila!"

Everyone stared at this sparkling bed in awe.

"Wow…" Kirby awed.

"That is…beautiful!" Jewel was surprised at this bed's beauty.

"At last, we have the Ultibed!" Dreambert exclaimed. "Now let's sleep on it and meet the Zeekeeper!"

"Halt!" Bedsmith interrupted. "This cannot be done here. You must find a place within the woods where dream power swells!"

"Strong dream power within the woods… The Pi'illo Temple! That place must be a font of dream power!"

"Yes, the Pi'illo Temple should serve well!"

"Of course! And since I was the one who took Jewel to the temple where she lived until adulthood, I know exactly how to reach it! Going through the same path I went back in that day!"

"Well, you did say that the temple is located in the heart of the woods." Jewel smiled. "I am certain that the temple must have fallen into ruins since it's been so long that it was abandoned."

"Be careful, you all. Many traps are said to guard the temple, even if it's in ruins." Bedsmith gave another warning. "The way will be hard! Bedsmith pulls for you! Good luck!"

The heroes took the Ultibed (although I'm not sure how they are able to carry around a large object like that) and went on, where they reached the area with the poisonous swamp, being patrolled by Boomerang Bros. Once they crossed the swamp, Mario destroyed a boulder with his hammer, revealing a new type of Pi'illo that was petrified.

"Hey! That is… A Pi'illo Master!" Dreambert exclaimed. "They, too, failed to escape petrification…"

"Pi'illo Master?" Starlow raised an eyebrow.

"The temple… To enter, we must save that Pi'illo. They are at one with the spiritual plane… The Pi'illo Masters, eternal protectors of the temple. Without the Pi'illo Masters, the path to the temple will stay shut to us."

"So we also have to save the Pi'illo Masters to get into the temple, right?" Sonic guessed.

"Correct."

With that, Luigi sleeps on the Pi'illo while Jewel sleeps on his side with her Magical Pillow as the Dream Portal shows up and the rest of the gang went in.

* * *

Dreamy Somnom Woods was absolutely beautiful: this whole place was given a green tint, the tiles were like glass, bright sparkles were hovering everywhere and the same overgrown trees were slightly bouncing up and down slowly in the background. Small grass were decorating the floor, walls and ceiling, some purple tropical flowers are seen hovering in some parts of the background, but a lot closer than the trees and parts of the ruined columns were shown at the foreground. Bushes that are used as platforms were a lot brighter and there was swirly grass decorating the floor on the foreground and the background.

And speaking of swirly grass, every time any of the heroes took a step forward, a bright white version of this grass would grow under their feet. Upon meeting with Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel, they looked around amazed at this dream world.

"Wow! This dream world is so beautiful!" Baby Luigi beamed.

"Isn't it?" Dreamy Jewel winked. "The Somnom Woods at the real world looks dark, but in the dream world, it is very bright and shiny!"

"Yeah! Very different!" Baby Mario chirped.

"Anyways, I can sense two Nightmare Chunks in here." Dreambert said. "Let's go search for them."

Upon walking a bit to the left, Dreamy Luigi started to react to a giant green pinwheel in the background.

"Sweet! Another Luiginary Work!" Dreamy Jewel exclaimed. "Dreamy Luigi! Become one with it!"

"Okey-Dokey!" Dreamy Luigi nodded and zoomed into the pinwheel.

"Hm… Its shape calls a propeller to mind… I better call Starlow once again!" she calls Starlow with her Calling Moonstone. "Starlow!"

" _Yes, Jewel?"_ Starlow replied. _"I know; you've stumbled upon another Luiginary Work, right? His nose started glowing just now."_

"His nose again? Try turning it just like last time you did it at Dozing Sands!"

Starlow did as she was told, and eventually, the pinwheel's propellers started to spin, creating strong gusts of wind on the direction it was spinning. The winds were so strong that it sent the heroes flying towards the wall on the right, and they suddenly just stuck themselves to the wall.

"Ah! We can harness the wind power to stick to walls!" Dreamy Jewel concluded. "We can get to higher places by just climbing the walls thanks to the winds!" once the group climbed on top of the wall, Starlow touched the middle of Luigi's nose, and the propellers stopped spinning. "For the name… I already used the name 'wind' before, so I'll just call it: Luiginary Propeller! Alright everyone, let's use this new Luiginary Work to reach the chunks!"

With the use of the Luiginary Propeller, the group was able to reach and break both Nightmare Chunks, freeing their first Pi'illo Master.

* * *

Once they were all back at the real world, Luigi and Jewel snapped awake and everyone watched the pillow transforming into the Pi'illo Master.

"Ahhhh… Life returns to my form… I offer you my thanks." He thanked. "I am a Pi'illo Master, guardian of the temple." That is, until he noticed Dreambert and Jewel with them. "Ah! Prince Dreambert! Princess Jewel! Did you escape our fate?!"

"No, not exactly…" Dreambert replied. "I actually sacrificed myself to save Jewel from being petrified. That's why she looks so different right now. But thankfully, she and her new friends revived me as well."

"Oh, I see…" the Master Pi'illo then flies to Jewel. "My… Look at how much you've grown, Princess. You were still a little baby the last time I ever looked at you…"

"Master, we must reach the temple. Will you aid us?" Jewel requested.

"The temple… Great needs drives you. I will give you this. It will set you on the path to the temple." He hands to Jewel a Somnom Stone.

"Our thanks." Dreambert thanked.

"There are others… The other Pi'illo Masters were also petrified. You must not leave them to their stony fates!"

"Correct. Everyone! We must rescue the others and head to the temple!"

They all nodded and took off. Upon reaching an area where two Zeekeeper statues were placed on both sides leading to an elevator, the group noticed something coming out of the ground. Three purple-skinned mole-like creatures with large bulb-shaped heads, beady yellow eyes, dark purple faces, small pink beaks, mole-like claws and pink flowers growing on top of their heads popped out of the ground.

"Who you?" the middle one asked.

"What you?" the left one asked.

"Who it?" the right one asked.

"Could you let us head into the deepest part of the woods?" Mario requested.

"Go deeper woods?"

"Why?"

"What deeper?"

"We're on a mission. Can we go through?" Starlow asked. That's where all the creatures stared at Starlow:

"Suddenly round!"

"Suddenly yellow!"

"Suspicion!"

"Um, no…" Starlow replied nervously.

"Here to steal treasure! Here to steal Nom Pi'illo!"

"Pilferers!"

"Pilferers? That not word."

"Nom Pi'illo never yours!"

"Nom Pi'illo!"

"NOM PI'ILLO!"

"Are you saying that we're not allowed to pass?!" Jewel questioned, stepping in.

"Hey! She be…?"

"Yes! Must be!"

"Forgive us. You pass."

They then dug back into the ground.

"…What in the world just happened?!" Starlow questioned confused. "They didn't seem friendly at all in the beginning… But when Jewel stepped in, they suddenly let us pass?"

"Catching what they said at the final, it sounded like they just recognized me or something!" Jewel remarked.

"Correct." Dreambert spoke. "They are Nommons. They have ever dwelt here. The reason they let us pass as soon as Jewel stepped in… Is because they were the ones who helped raise her when she was a baby until she grew up. I know that because I was the one who entrusted her care to them before I got petrified."

"Wait, so they were the Nommons you spoke off?" Starlow asked.

"Yes. But… I have no sense of this 'Nom Pi'illo' they speak of… A mystery…"

"Well, we cannot linger. We must move on!" Sonic said.

Everyone then took the elevator, taking them to the highest point of the woods, where everything was much brighter now, just like how it was in the dream world. They saw their next Master Pi'illo on the right, and upon reviving him and receiving another Somnom Stone, they saw several parts up ahead.

"This is going to take a while…" Sonic sighted.

* * *

 _ **Some hours later…**_

Once they finally got all of the Somnom Stones from the rescued Master Pi'illos, they used them to create a path leading to the temple's entrance. They rode the platform to the path they just made with the stones and reached the temple's entrance in ruins. They had to fight some Eyepi'illos guarding the entrance, though. Inside the ruined temple, something just caught Kirby's attention:

"Guys! Take a look at this!"

He directs to an intact wall and once everyone got close to it, they saw some ancient text written on the wall, but it wasn't Pi'illo characters. But what caught their attention was that they saw a drawing of a person next to the text. That person appeared to be a woman with neck-length short black hair and she was wearing a pink and golden dress with a golden tiara. The drawing was mostly faded, so it was hard to clearly see her.

"That's strange… That woman looks like a younger version of my mother!" Jewel said surprised, taking out the picture of her parents that Dreambert gave her for comparison.

"Hmm… I'm remembering something now." Dreambert said. "Jewel, when she was young, your mother's dream was to see the world, so she disguised herself as an ordinary traveler to hide her identity as the princess of the Star Realm. We received her visit when she was your age limit of immortality aka 18 years old. But I also remember that she brought with her a group of heroes who appeared to all share the same species as her and she was their leader. I forgot the species' name and the heroes' names as well, but one of each of them looked quite similar to majority of you guys, except for the babies and Ribbon Girl."

"Wow, really?" Mario was astonished.

"Correct. And when she met our king, who's named Pi'illip, she fell in love with him and married him. She also mentioned me that she and her team lived on many adventures together when traveling the world."

"Golly… What was her name, by the way?" Luigi asked.

"Her name was Zynthia. However, she used to be called 'Jewel' when she was young, and believe it or not, 'Jewel' is her second name."

"Oh, so my name was inspired by my mother's second name?" Jewel asked.

"That's correct." Dreambert nodded. But then, he shook it off: "We're losing precious time. We have to reach the top of this temple right now."

The group realized that he was right and moved on. Upon reaching the very top of the temple, they noticed it was surrounded in a Dreampoint.

"We're here." Dreambert said. "Look, in the center! A hugely powerful aura emanates from there. This temple will be our gate to the Zeekeeper!"

But once they got closer to the center, there was…a random button?

"What's this button doing here?" Baby Luigi wondered.

"What's worse is that it stands in the way of where we must place the Ultibed…" Dreambert mused. "Hmm… Yes, the bed must go there, but…"

"Should we try pressing it?" Baby Mario blurted.

"Why we would do that?! It could be dangerous!" Luigi protested.

"We have no choice, Luigi. It's the only way we can get to find the Zeekeeper." Mario stated.

He approaches the button and hammers it down. All of a sudden, the ground started to rumble.

"I got a bad feeling about this…" Ribbon Girl trailed.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound good…" Sonic joined in.

Suddenly, the statue in front of the group crumbled to pieces, startling them all. A strange golden floating column with a disk-shaped head was underneath the statue and began to hover.

"What IS that?!" Kirby exclaimed, shocked at what he's seeing.

"Uh-oh…" Dreambert gulped. "PI'ILLODIUM!"

"Pi'illowhat?!" Starlow questioned.

"Pi'illodium. A defense weapon created during the Pi'illo Kingdom era. It has likely protected this part of the place since that time…"

Then, Pi'illodium transformed itself, making wings spread out from its column-shaped body and its angry-looking red eyes appeared.

"Looks serious!" Jewel glared as the group stood in their fighting stances.

" **Scanning foe potential…"** Pi'illodium spoke.

"Wait, what?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

" **Chances of my victory: 120%."**

"Yeah, for us!"

" **Rat's cockiness: 1000%."**

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"Oh, boy… Here we go again…" Mario sighed.

"That's it! Let's take that sucker out!"

Pi'illodium starts by summoning Mini Pi'illoids and they fly to the background ready to launch an attack at the group, but Sonic took them all out with his Homing Attack before they could even do anything. Pi'illodium then transforms into a hammer and proceeds to hammer Mario and Luigi, but they both countered back with their hammers, knocking Pi'illodium back.

Now for the group's chance to attack, the babies stomped Pi'illodium's weak point, which was the purple area in the middle of its body, followed by Jewel's Arrow Peridot, where she creates an arrow made out of green light, since the Peridot was green, and sends it right into the weak spot.

Pi'illodium then chases after the group, shooting out missiles from its head, but the gang managed to avoid them. After the chase, Pi'illodium summons more Mini Pi'illoids and whacks them towards the group, but Kirby managed to inhale them, turning into Spark Kirby. This gave him an idea; he looked at Ribbon Girl, who had a Sparky in both hands and told her:

"Ribbon Girl! Let's use the power of electricity to overload the robot!"

"Ok!" Ribbon Girl replied.

With that, Ribbon Girl charges her Sparkys with electricity and sends them towards Pi'illodium along with Spark Kirby shooting a lightning bolt. This caused Pi'illodium's wings to break apart.

" **Close call."** It spoke.

Before the heroes could attack, Pi'illodium shoots out lasers from its eyes, but they jumped over the lasers.

"That electric attack you both did seemed to be effective! Do it again, but this time I'll join you!" Jewel told Ribbon Girl and Spark Kirby while pulling out her Electric Topaz.

The duo nodded and charged their electric attacks again along with Jewel, sending them at Pi'illodium once again. Now it was badly damaged than before.

" **Boot: self-destruct."** It spoke and a countdown showed up in its chest. The heroes had 40 seconds to defeat Pi'illodium before it explodes, and that could be devastating.

"Did it just say… Self-destruct?!" Luigi panicked.

"Oh, shoot! It's gonna blow!" Sonic flinched.

"We have to take it down! And FAST!" Mario hollered. "And I know how!" he takes out a skateboard equipped with a rocket engine. "Jet-Board Bash!"

Mario and Luigi ran a few feet away from Pi'illodium and the older brother tossed the skateboard in front of them. Luigi boards it by lying down on his belly and Mario hops on top of him, starting the engine. Luigi paddles the skateboard with his hands to accelerate it and stops once the flame turned blue. That's where Mario readies his hammer and waits until the skateboard gets closer to Pi'illodium. Once it did, Mario does a heavy hammer swing right at Pi'illodium's weak spot.

" **Query?"** Pi'illodium started to emit electric sparks before exploding, but at least it was an ordinary explosion instead of a big one.

"Phew, that was close…" Luigi sighed in relief.

"Good thinking, Mario!" Sonic grinned.

"You're welcome." Mario grinned back.

"Well, now the way is clear, huh?" Starlow said.

"You bet." Dreambert nodded as the group placed the Ultibed on the button's spot. "Everyone! We must bring back the Zeekeeper from the dream world!"

The gang nodded. Dreambert then turns into his pillow form on the Ultibed and Luigi sleeps on him, followed by Jewel sleeping on the side of the bed with her Magical Pillow. Once the Dream Portal showed up, Mario and the rest of the gang hopped in it.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **I LOVE Somnom Woods' music! Both the real world and dream world versions! They're just so mystical, calm and relaxing. And the dream world version of it is my favorite song from this game!  
**

 **I was heavily inspired by my friend Tiger of Darkness' Dream Team story to write this chapter. Especially the part when Dreambert was talking about Jewel's mother's past! Just like how my friend did in his stories, I am also inventing my own group of ancestors because I thought it was interesting. Too bad he's gone for a while... :(**

 **The group is about to find the legendary Zeekeeper somewhere in the Dream World! See you then! Please review.**


	24. The Legendary Zeekeeper

**Whew! Finally done with this chapter!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 24: The Legendary Zeekeeper**

The gang arrived in the Dream World where the Zeekeeper is located. Upon meeting up with the Dreamy pair, they immediately saw the Dream World version of Bedsmith flying up ahead.

"Did you see that?!" Kirby asked.

"That has to be Bedsmith in the Dream World!" Mario exclaimed. "Maybe he knows where the Zeekeeper is!"

"In that case, we should follow him!" Sonic stated.

The gang immediately began to follow Bedsmith until he stopped next to a wall.

"Gaze upon the inner reaches of Dreamy Somnom Woods!" he spoke. "The most sacred area of the most sacred of dream worlds… Yes. Only those who sleep upon the Ultibed can breach its border!"

"That makes sense!" Ribbon Girl exclaimed.

"And that is for good reason… For the Zeekeeper is atop this tree!"

"Really?!" the gang was surprised as they looked up the tree.

"That is a huge tree…" Dreamy Luigi breathed.

"Just crazy, right?! Crazy with a capital NUTS!" Bedsmith exclaimed. "I'm talking THE Zeekeeper! You wanna see it, right?" the gang nodded.

"Just how high this tree is, anyway?" Mario asked.

"Well… Not even I know the answer to that question…"

Dreamy Luigi jumps on the platforms above to look up on the tree, which had many doors leading even higher. In fact, this tree was so tall that it seemed to go on forever!

"Golly! Huge indeed! I can't even see the very top of it in this ground level!" Dreamy Luigi told everyone.

"Yes… Astute. It is VERY tall. Climbing it will be a trial." Bedsmith warned. "Yet a worthy one! For you will meet the Zeekeeper!"

" ***sigh*** well, guess we have no choice but to climb all that…" Sonic sighed.

"I must caution you, however. It is easy to lose one's way here. Know that dead ends may not be ends, and hidden paths abound… But good luck to you all!"

The gang went inside the very first door above them to begin this tree climbing. Once they activated their first shortcut, Bedsmith showed up next to them.

"A shortcut! Well done!" he congratulated.

"This should make it easier for us to go up and down." Dreamy Jewel smiled.

"You really get things done!"

"You bet!" Mario exclaimed heroically.

"That…makes…me want to… NAP. ON. YOU GUYS!"

"WHAAAAAT?!" the gang yelled in shock.

"Just a joke! Heh. Joking!"

"Phew… That kind of scared me…" Ribbon Girl sighed in relief.

"Yeah, I do not want to be napped on by this guy…" Sonic muttered. "That'd be too weird…"

"Too weird?" Bedsmith asked.

"Yes."

"Heh! Never been napped on? It's just a Pi'illo expression…"

"Oh."

"Anyway, there is still far to go. Perhaps you should take a break? Even if one cannot nap on one's friends, rest is still important!"

"Thanks for the suggestion, Bedsmith, but we have to go on." Mario shook his head.

"Suit yourself."

The gang then continued to climb the tree, which it also worked as a huge maze with many pipes and challenges, such as not looking back and they had to deal with a bunch of enemies, such as Pelicrumps, Spritzblooms and Skipdrill Rs, plus using most of the Luiginary Works in order to progress.

* * *

 _ **Some hours later…**_

The gang finally reached the very top of the tree, where they saw a large colorful egg.

"Aha! That's the Zeekeeper's egg!" Dreambert said.

"So, all we have to do is wake him up?" Baby Mario asked as he approached the egg.

"Correct."

"Well, here goes nothing!"

He pulls out his hammer and whacks the egg until it shatters. Once it did, a bright pink glow came out, surprising the gang, as they had to cover their eyes. The glow enveloped the whole screen and everyone was now standing in a white limbo.

"What just happened?" Kirby looked around.

"Look up there!" Ribbon Girl pointed up and everyone saw a giant colorful bird flying above.

"Who…disturbs my rest?" he suddenly spoke as he came up in front of everyone and began to fly closer and closer to them. "I am the legendary Zeekeeper… The guardian of the Pi'illo Kingdom… Those who hinder me will become one with the light!"

"Wait! Zeekeep-!"

"SCRAW!" but Dreambert was interrupted when the Zeekeeper unleashed a powerful wind towards our heroes to try to send them all away, and they all held on for dear life.

"AAAAAAAHHH!" Baby Luigi screamed.

It was at that moment when Luigi in the real world began to cower in his sleep once again, meaning that another Giant Battle will unfold.

"T-This isn't good…!" Dreamy Jewel groaned, trying to hold on the best she could.

Just then, many Luiginoids came in and gathered in a protective circle to prevent the heroes from blowing away.

" _Luiginoids? Starlow…_ " Dreamy Jewel thought, realizing what happened.

"Irritating… SCRAW!" but the Zeekeeper unleashed an even stronger wind, causing all the Luiginoids to get blown away.

Thankfully, the 'real' Luigi managed to pull himself together and so did the others afterwards. With that, they all began to merge to complete the process of becoming giant.

Meanwhile, the Zeekeeper was looking down on the rest of the gang as they were looking up quite frightened at the giant bird flapping his wings.

"You are brave, little ones." The Zeekeeper spoke, before swooping down at the heroes, but they managed to avoid him.

"Dang, how are we going to hurt this thing?!" Sonic questioned as the Zeekeeper did a U-turn to head back to where the heroes are and continued:

"And nimble. But your luck shall not last. Abandon hope."

All of a sudden, before the Zeekeeper could do anything…

"HIYAAAAAAH!" Giant Luigi came out from the sky right above the Zeekeeper and stomped on his head very hard, causing him to get knocked on the ground.

"Luigi!" the heroes smiled as Giant Luigi landed behind them.

"I'll take it from here, guys!" Giant Luigi assured and everyone hopped up to the top of his cap once again. He ran towards the Zeekeeper, who had just recovered, and stood ready to fight.

"You would fight me? Very well, then… Marshal your power and… Try to stop me!" the Zeekeeper roared before flying away.

"He's getting away!" Dreamy Jewel warned. "Chase after him!"

Giant Luigi nodded before running as fast as he could to catch up with the Zeekeeper.

"SCRAAW!" the Zeekeeper flew back to swoop at Giant Luigi, but he jumped up to avoid him.

The Zeekeeper then sends egg bombs at Giant Luigi, but he knocked them back at him with his hammer. With that, the Zeekeeper slowed down a bit, injured by the attack, allowing Giant Luigi to get close to him.

"Now! Grab his legs!" Dreamy Jewel demanded.

Giant Luigi did as he was told and grabbed hold of the Zeekeeper's legs and began to drag him down while continuously sliding on the ground and with the Zeekeeper trying to flap back into the air.

"None may hinder me! I shall remain aloft!" the Zeekeeper yelled, breaking one of his legs free from Giant Luigi's grasp, but he managed to grab it back and continued to drag him down towards the ground.

Once successful, Giant Luigi slams the Zeekeeper hard on the ground and stomps him, leaving the bird dazed, allowing Giant Luigi to do a double stomp on him two times.

Upon regaining his senses, the Zeekeeper flies into the air again and Giant Luigi once again begins to chase after him. The Zeekeeper then did the same swooping attack at Giant Luigi, but this time, the former swooped high instead of low, which caught Giant Luigi off guard and he was hit by the attack. Even that, Giant Luigi kept on chasing the Zeekeeper.

"Did I not warn you? You are no match for me!" the Zeekeeper mocked.

He then flies off at the distance and created a pattern of blue energy balls and they began to slowly head towards Giant Luigi, but he destroyed all of them by chucking tree logs at them. With all energy balls destroyed, Giant Luigi also chucked some logs at the Zeekeeper.

After Giant Luigi once again repeated the same process of slamming the Zeekeeper on the ground and attacking twice, the Zeekeeper flies up in the air and says:

"It seems as though I have underestimated you… But neither have I unveiled my true strength!"

With that, he takes off to the sky and creates a pink rift.

"I can offer you no mercy. I am sorry. It must be so!"

Giant Luigi then chases after the Zeekeeper, but he was suddenly pulled by a colorful vortex, taking him into a dimensional rift between the real and dream worlds.

"Whoa! Whoa! What is this?!" Giant Luigi exclaimed in shock as he was levitating out of the ground.

"The Zeekeeper… Who knew he could cross dimensions?!" Dreambert flinched. "We must match his power!"

"Yeah! Dreamy Luigi! Stay on the Zeekeeper's tail!" Dreamy Jewel warned.

The Zeekeeper fires energy balls and sends them at Giant Luigi, but he managed to avoid them by flying out of the way. Then, the Zeekeeper began to spin his body rapidly like a drill and charges for Giant Luigi.

"He's about to ram onto you! Dodge it and then counter him!" Dreamy Jewel instructed.

"Okay, but how do I counter him?" Giant Luigi asked.

"I know! Try curling into a ball and bounce on him multiple times like I always do!" Sonic suggested.

Giant Luigi then dodges the Zeekeeper's ramming attack and immediately curls into a ball while spinning, continuously ramming into the bird like a pinball. Sonic then jumps out of Giant Luigi's cap and Home Attacks the Zeekeeper's face, forcing him to close the dimensional rift and everyone was back in the Dream World.

"Not bad at all, Luigi!" Sonic gave thumbs up upon landing back on Giant Luigi's cap.

"Thanks, but I don't understand how you do not get dizzy after doing that, Sonic. My head is starting to spin…" Giant Luigi groaned, holding on to his head.

"I guess I'm used to it."

"Hey, look!" Dreamy Jewel pointed at the Zeekeeper at the distance. Giant Luigi went to him, and everyone saw that the Zeekeeper was now even more dazed than before. "I guess using that dimensional rift costed him too much of his energy. So it's finishing time, everyone!"

Everyone nodded and executed the Finishing Team attack, defeating the Zeekeeper. With that, the fight ended and Giant Luigi shrunk back to normal.

"That was tougher than I expected… Well, at least it was sort of an interesting fight." Dreamy Jewel smiled.

"You think?" Dreamy Luigi spoke unamused. "That was the hardest fight I had so far!"

Then, the Zeekeeper flew down to them.

"You fought well!" he appraised. "I am the Zeekeeper… The bird of legend… Protector of Pi'illo Island… You have come far to rouse me from sleep… Do events go ill in the real world?"

"Zeekeeper!" Dreambert interfered. "Pi'illo Island is in danger once again!"

"And we all woke you up because we need your help!" Dreamy Jewel stepped in.

"Oh, GUYS! What is UP! It's been forever! Dreambert! Jewel!" the Zeekeeper blurted upon noticing Dreambert and Dreamy Jewel, causing the rest of the gang to nearly face-fault from what they're seeing.

"D-Did he just say-?!" Mario stuttered, who's the one looking the most shocked of them all since his eyeballs comically popped out of his eyes.

"These guys KNOW each other?!" Sonic flinched. "HOW?!"

"Why didn't you speak up? Totally didn't notice you!" the Zeekeeper exclaimed.

"Um, how do you know me?" Dreamy Jewel asked in an awkward tone.

"What?! You don't remember me, Jewel? I was the one taking care of you whenever you were in the Dream World when you were little! In fact, you look nearly unrecognizable! It seemed time sure has passed!"

"She had lost her childhood memories. That's why she doesn't remember you." Dreambert explained. He then turned to the gang, who were still looking shocked, and told: "Yes… This is what the Zeekeeper is REALLY like. At first, he seems a bit standoffish, but hey."

"Did you just describe me as a bit standoffish? How about you stand off that branch over there?"

"…What."

"Hahaha! Just kidding! Good ol' Dreambert!"

" _That was terrible…_ " Sonic thought, sweatdropping.

"Anyways, what're you guys doing here?"

The gang then explained everything to the Zeekeeper.

"Antasma again? UGGGGGGH." The Zeekeeper groaned, now lying on his…feathery elbow upon the explanation. "There's something so wrong with him."

"It's more than just the island… He aims to conquer the world!" Dreambert added.

"No kidding? For real. Weak. SOOO weak. Dude just refuses to learn his lesson, huh?"

"The problem is that he and Bowser are residing in a floating castle that's protected by a barrier, and no one can get through." Dreamy Jewel explained.

"Big ol' barrier around their castle, huh? This Bowser guy sounds like another nut job."

"And that's the reason we came, Zeekeeper. We need your help."

"Ah. Did you. Look, Princess… Not gonna happen, gurl." This caused the heroes to face-fault.

"But, Zeekeeper! With your power, you could smash the castle barrier!" Dreambert stated.

"Yeah, BEFORE. But I retired. I'm old and tired now. Butter me up all you want, but this bird ain't budging. Unless…I got a bit of THAT. You know what I mean!"

"What? What are you talking about?" Dreamy Jewel asked.

"Oh, you don't know? Guess we're done, then. Take off, guys."

"Oh, I get it! Coins, right?" Dreambert quickly responded before anyone in the group could argue.

"Man, SHUSH! Poor form! Not in front of everyone! But…yeah, coins. How many? How much you gonna pay?"

Dreambert paused for a moment…until he looked at Mario, who backed away a bit, and spoke:

"How about this? If we can get the island back to normal, my friend Mario here… He will give you every single coin he has… All of them… Yes! Every last coin we have!" immediately upon hearing this from Dreambert, Mario's eyeballs popped out again just like last time.

"WHAT?!" he flinched. "NO NO NO NO! That is a TERRIBLE idea, Dreambert!" he was shaking his head rapidly.

"Just bear with me for now…" Dreambert whispered to him.

"Come on, Mario. Just do it. Otherwise we'll never be able to access the castle." Sonic demanded.

"Fine…" Mario muttered. He approaches the Zeekeeper, cleans his throat and says: "Uh, yes. I'll gladly offer all of my coins to you." He tries to speak normally.

"Whoa, you for real? No joke?" the Zeekeeper asked. Mario nodded. "If you ask THAT nicely, I can help, but…"

"But?"

"Let's go over this. Antasma's back. Working with some Bowser guy…"

"That's right."

"Weird flying castle… Check. Barrier to be smashed… Check. That alone carries serious labor costs! Gonna need a travel budget… Hotel bill… Complimentary robe… High-end meal… In-flight snacks… Stipend for massages and leisure… And! Gotta get insurance. That's gonna be pricey…"

Everyone looked at each other in confusion. The Zeekeeper then continues:

"There's also that…and THAT… Ah! At least four of those… My friends need souvenirs…"

* * *

 _ **A LOT of listings later…**_

"…Done! It's rough, but I think I've got a working estimate!" the Zeekeeper finished, now flapping his wings in the air.

" _Thank god he's done…_ " Sonic thought impatiently.

The Zeekeeper then hands the bill to Mario, and once he took a look at it… He yelped in shock, looking like he was about to faint at any moment judging by his face AND that his eyeballs popped out AGAIN.

"E-E-EIGHTY MILLION COINS?!" he yelled, causing the heroes to jawdrop at the amount.

"Yup. When all is said and done, this bill comes due." The Zeekeeper said. "That gonna work for you? It's some serious dough."

"This is MARIO over here! It'll be a piece of cake!" Dreambert exclaimed.

"NO IT WON'T!" Mario yelled, shaking his head rapidly again.

"DIDN'T ASK YOU, DREAMBERT!" the Zeekeeper exclaimed. "Mario… Little guy… Well? Can you pay?"

Still paralyzed in shock, Mario looked back at his friends, who gave him a 'just do it' signal, then back at Dreambert, who gave a nod to him. He paused for a moment until he finally spoke, completely unamused and unenthusiastically:

"…Alright… I'll pay you…"

"Sweet! No backsies! You promised!" the Zeekeeper replied. "Let's imprison Antasma again and bring peace to Pi'illo Island!"

He took off to the skies and flew around before stopping in front of the heroes.

"OK then, little dudes! Hop onto my back!" he instructed.

Mario, Sonic, Kirby, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and Ribbon Girl hopped onto the Zeekeeper's back.

"Don't worry, I'll waive the fee for this ride." He said. "Up we gooo!"

With that, the Zeekeeper took off into the distance while Dreambert vanished. Dreamy Luigi and Dreamy Jewel waved goodbye.

* * *

Back at the real world, the Zeekeeper flew out of the Dream Portal, catching Starlow by surprise.

"WHOA!" she flinched. "That thing we just saw… Was that the Zeekeeper?!"

"It is…" Mario replied unenthusiastically upon he and his friends landed on the ground. Starlow noticed his weird look on his face.

"What's with the face?" she asked. Mario whispered everything in her ear. "Wow, 80.000.000 coins?! Now I'm feeling bad for you…"

Luigi and Jewel eventually woke up and gathered with the others. Dreambert returns to his original form and flies to Starlow, saying:

"We brought the Zeekeeper back!"

"AWK!" the Zeekeeper flew by. "I ARRIVE!" he lands in front of the group. "What is UP?! It's that Zeekeeper you know and love! Your hero! THE Zeekeeper!"

"Oh, wow! He's a little full of himself, huh? I sort of imagined a more humble guardian…" Starlow commented.

"Please." He then began to sense something. "Huh?! Snurffff! I smell it… I SMELL IT! The stench of pure evil, that's what that is… It's like a stinky fog over the whole island! That is a… STANK!"

"Talk about being dramatic, geez…" Ribbon Girl sassed.

"Bowser's castle is near! I ask that you blast it… Destroy its barrier!" Dreambert demanded.

"You're our last hope!" Jewel threw in.

"No need to be so theatrical about it… This'll take two seconds. And then, bonus time!" the Zeekeeper said.

"Say what? What bonus?" Starlow asked.

"A pittance. Don't sweat the details right now… I do believe it's time for reconnaissance! Time to shatter the barrier that guards that castle!"

"Very well!" Dreambert replied. "Everyone! Onward!"

"All righty! Let's DO it! HERE WE GO!"

The group then all hopped onto the Zeekeeper's back and he takes off into the skies directly towards the castle.

"There it is! Bowser's castle!" Jewel pointed at the distance.

* * *

 _ **With the Elite Trio, which were now the three janitors…**_

They were doing their new business, cleaning the castle, until Private Goomp saw something at the distance.

"What…is that?" he asked, catching the other two's attention.

"Bogey on approach… Is that…a bird?" Sergeant Guy wondered.

"Negative… Appears to be an airborne dumpling." Corporal Paraplonk said.

"What? Seems more like a chubby sky pig to me." Private Goomp stated.

"That's a negative, Private. Ugly air frog confirmed!" Sergeant Guy gave another guess.

* * *

 _ **Back with the heroes…**_

"What…" the Zeekeeper was not happy at what the Elite Trio called him. "Dunno why, but… I'M PEEVED!" he suddenly yelled angrily. "Ooh, they roused the Zeekeeper! And the Zeekeeper rages! Only the destruction of that barrier will slake my rage thirst! Doom's coming for you! Oh, yeah, believe it! Stare into its grim gaze! Witness the Wakebeam!" he begins to charge a colorful energy ball from his beak. "WAKE…UP!" he released a beam from the energy ball towards the castle. "AND BOOM!" his whole body was enveloped by a bright colorful light and shoots to the castle, passing through it.

With that, the barrier shattered like glass, and with no energy to support it airborne, it began to fall down…and the Elite Trio began to panic:

"AYEEEE!"

"TROUBLE!"

"EVAC!"

"EVAC!"

 ***CRASH!***

The castle landed right in the east, north of Somnom Woods and east of Mount Pajamaja, but it can only be accessed in Mushrise Park, which is where the heroes and the Zeekeeper landed by the way.

"Well done, destroying that formidable barrier!" Dreambert appraised. "You have our thanks, most revered Zeekeeper!"

"Hoff… Haff… That was…tough…" the Zeekeeper panted. "Been a while since I unleashed the Wakebeam… I'm out of shape. I assume Bowser's castle landed somewhere nearby…" he pointed to the path on the north side. "Head that way, and you should be able to get inside… Whatever your fate, it's all you. My job here is done… Although… I kinda wish to help you more… Unless… That's it!"

He uses his magic to summon a colorful egg that has the same colors as the egg the Zeekeeper rested in the dream world.

"If ya dudes ever need my assistance again (once I'm fully rested, of course), just call me by using this egg… Huffff… Haaarff… Alright… I've gotta rest up…" he falls asleep.

"Of course! Leave the rest to us!" Jewel exclaimed. "Let's head to Bowser's castle!"

"Well, at least your wallet is safe for now!" Luigi said to Mario.

"…Don't remind me." Mario groaned as they headed straight to Neo Bowser Castle.

But they don't know what might happen once inside…

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **To be honest, I think the Zeekeeper giant boss battle was the hardest one in this game for me; I died two times on my first playthrough, and only once in this recent playthrough I'm doing along with the story. Despite that, his character is really funny. I laughed the first time I saw Mario's reactions about the payment.  
**

 **And to my friend Tiger of Darkness, you see that I also included that Sonic reference you mentioned in our latest PM. Hope you liked it! ;D**

 **Something quite shocking will happen once our heroes step inside Neo Bowser Castle! Until then! Please review.**


	25. Neo Bowser Castle

**Managed to write another chapter before Christmas!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

 **PS: I just got a Nintendo Switch and Super Mario Odyssey as an early Christmas and Birthday gift respectively at Thursday! I am so happy! :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 25: Neo Bowser Castle  
**

Despite being a mixture of Bowser and Antasma's features from the outside, the inside of Neo Bowser Castle is like many of Bowser's previous castles, filled with seas of lava and spikes with some colored tiles of his face in red, blue, green and yellow. But there are also shadowy-themed elements from Antasma: many dimly lit rooms, dark torches, structures, tendrils and also some strange, giant purple vines. Those features are all seen throughout the castle with shadowy particles occasionally rising from the ground.

"Huh, even with the 'Neo' in its name, this castle feels just like all of the Bowser castles I've been in my other adventures." Mario commented, looking around as the heroes were walking into the dark corridor.

"I can see that you're used already to seeing castles like that. Especially if it's Bowser's." Jewel pointed out.

"True."

"Alright, I've got all of the Chaos Emeralds ready. I'm going to use them against Bowser!" Sonic said.

"You won't use them for Antasma too?" Luigi asked.

"Nah, I don't think he's a strong as Turtle Breath."

"If you say so."

"Ahh, this feels great!" they suddenly heard a voice coming from the end of the corridor.

"Hey! Is that the Elite Trio over there?" Kirby pointed at the end of the corridor.

The gang spotted said trio standing next to one of those strange vines.

"Well, the castle fell…" Corporal Paraplonk remarked.

"Lord Bowser sure didn't seem too fazed about it." Sergeant Guy said.

"Whatever…" Private Goomp shrugged. "Lounging by this vine RULES! It just drains the fatigue away."

"The vines are sorta creepy… I mean, they're great, but…" Corporal Paraplonk commented.

"Agreed. They are suspicious. A guy has to wonder… What kind of energy is flowing through them? It looks…off." Sergeant Guy wondered.

Silence. That is, until Private Goomp broke it:

"Come on, man. We're just need-to-know grunts, and we don't need to know that."

"Haah… Yeah. Grunts. I miss being the elite team, know what I mean?" Corporal Paraplonk sighed.

"Good times…" they all said in unison.

"Oh, are you whining about your self-pity? That is a bad habit." A voice suddenly came.

The trio turned around and saw the heroes standing next to them.

"Y-You guys! How'd you get here?!" Private Goomp questioned.

"Duh! Who just made this castle fall?!" Ribbon Girl retorted.

"Oh, right."

"The castle has been infiltrated!" Sergeant Guy exclaimed.

"Crud!" Corporal Paraplonk flinched. "Listen, we may be floor scrubbers now, but we'll scrub it with you!"

"Is that so? Then bring it on, bozos!" Sonic braced himself.

"All right, men! It's time! Operation Special Move!" Sergeant Guy announced.

"UNLEASH! LETHAL! RETREAT!" were the words the Elite Trio shouted before fleeing…and the heroes face-faulted by that.

"Are you kidding me?! THAT'S their ultimate attack?!" Sonic didn't believe that. "Man, what a bunch of cowards…"

"I know they're the bad guys, but I can't help but be impressed with their foot speed…" Starlow remarked.

"Yeah, but even so…"

"Anyways, now that we're within the walls, I trust there will be many guards…" Dreambert pondered. "Everyone! Breathe deep! Find your inner focus!"

They went on, and as soon as they stepped into the first room, they were greeted by none other than Kamek:

"Ooh, a WARM welcome to Neo Bowser Castle!" he showed up while flying on his broom.

"Oh, cut the greeting. This is getting too cliché." Mario rolled his eyes.

"Ka ha ha ha! So you came all the way here just to be destroyed?!"

"No we didn't! We came here to knock you down like we did to this castle!" Sonic growled as he and the rest of the heroes glared at Kamek.

"I'll admit, knocking the castle from the sky was impressive…but that was just luck. And from now on, I think you'll find that things have turned most awfully bad!"

Kamek then flies around the room and casts magic from his wand on all the doors, surrounding them in purple smoke.

" _Purple smoke… Is Kamek also wielding Antasma's powers?!_ " Jewel thought. " _So THAT'S why he was able to move around in the Dream World back at Driftwood Shore!_ "

"What did you just do?!" Ribbon Girl's eyes widened.

"Kee hee hee!" Kamek cackled.

" _Ugh, I never thought I'd say this, but that cackle is starting to get on my nerves…_ " Sonic thought.

"The paths between rooms… Oh, they're all messed up! You may wander in this room for the rest of your sad lives!"

Then, a purple smoke showed up in the middle of the room, and Antasma came out of it.

"SCREEPTH!" Antasma screeched. "Kamek… I sense unlimited power!"

"' _Unlimited Power'? Oh no… The Chaos Emeralds!_ " Sonic thought with his eyes widened.

"I can tell by the look on your face, blue fella, that you have those gems of chaos!" Kamek smirked.

"I won't let you get your hands on the Chaos Emeralds!"

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!"

Kamek charges up his wand with purple magic, creating a purple vortex, sucking all of the Emeralds from Sonic's quills while Antasma casted a spell on them, causing them to turn dark purple, which means they were encased in nightmare once again.

"NO!" Sonic yelled and managed to grab one of the darkened Emeralds from the rotating vortex.

"Uh oh! You held on to the Emerald and there's a Dreampoint right over there!" Kamek mocked, directing to the Dreampoint, which happens to be exactly where Antasma was standing. "Guess what happens next?"

"…Crud."

In an instant, Sonic was sucked inside the Emerald he held on.

"SONIC!" the heroes cried out.

The Emerald Sonic was sucked into flew back to the vortex, spinning with the other Emeralds.

"NYAHAHA! So! Do you think you can find where your furry friend is?" Kamek teased, before disabling his magic, scattering all of the Emeralds throughout the castle.

"Kamek… This vay…" Antasma called, before conjuring a darkened version of a Dream Portal above him and disappearing.

"Keh! I and those gems are your only keys to moving on…and you'll never catch me and find the gems! And as you suffer, I trust you'll regret ever making Bowser mad!" Kamek said before flying into the portal and it closed.

"This is bad!" Baby Luigi whimpered.

"Kamek fled into the dream world… And scattered all of the Chaos Emeralds with one of them holding Sonic inside…" Starlow remarked. "There is our first Emerald right there at the other side of that cage… We have to try to get to that spot somehow!"

"That's right!" Jewel nodded. "If Luigi can sleep there, we can chase Kamek and restore that Emerald back! So we'll have to wander around the castle, chase Kamek and restore all of the Chaos Emeralds in hopes of finding Sonic, because we don't know which Emerald color he held before getting sucked in."

"Right. I'm sure there's a switch somewhere through there…" Starlow directed to the door on the far right.

"This is going to be quite hard, since Kamek had messed up the rooms, so we could end up anywhere." Mario stated.

* * *

 _ **Several confusing minutes later…**_

"We made it! Finally!" Jewel beamed. "Now we can head to the dream world. Kamek's in there somewhere! Let's go after him! And let's not forget to restore this Emerald and hope we find Sonic!"

The gang nodded and Dreambert flies up on the circular platform floating on the lava below to become a pillow. Jewel then pulled out her Magical Pillow and watched it turn green.

"That Emerald is the green one!" she told.

Luigi then sleeps on Dreambert's pillow form while Jewel sleeps on her pillow and the portal showed up above Luigi's head. Mario and the gang hopped in.

* * *

Dreamy Neo Bowser Castle, as you would imagine, looks like a nightmarish version of its real world counterpart: it was dark, gloomy and ominous. At the background, there were dark blue walls with the same texture as the castle's walls and sometimes they showed cracks, revealing purplish bricks, chains were rising in all directions constantly like if they were infinite, and hellish versions of Bowser's face were floating all over. The ground was made of the same steel as the floors in the real world, complete with spikes that look identical to the spikes on Bowser's bracelets, torches with Bowser's face and the very same strange vines, but this time they were colored blue instead of purple, were decorating the foreground.

Upon meeting the Dreamy pair, everyone was creeped out by this place.

"Geez! And I thought all of the Dream Worlds would be magical!" Ribbon Girl exclaimed in shock.

"This feels more like a nightmare than a dream!" Kirby added.

"I couldn't agree more with you!" Baby Mario replied.

"Well, we better find Kamek and the nightmare chunk for this Emerald if we want to leave this area as soon as possible!" Dreamy Jewel demanded. "And it looks like Sonic isn't in this dream world…"

"How do you know?" Dreamy Luigi asked.

"Remember that all of Sonic's friends showed up right after we just entered the dream worlds? If he was here, he would show up instantly!"

"That is a good point." Mario stated. "Alright, let's go!"

They wandered forward, fighting against some Mechakoopas, Spiny Rs and Lakitu Rs along the way. Upon reaching a certain room, Dreamy Luigi's body began to glow. He was reacting to a dark green patch of matter with a faint silhouette of Luigi's face in the background.

"Look, another Luiginary Work…" Dreamy Jewel said. "My instincts tell me that this is the last one…"

"The last one? Boy, those works were so fun to experience…" Baby Mario sighed.

"Well, at least you'll be able to have fun one last time!" Dreamy Luigi smiled before zooming into the matter. Now Luigi's face was much clearer and a light blue electron was circling around it.

Back at the real world, Starlow caught sight of a red button next to the darkened Emerald.

"That button is glowing… I wonder what happens if I press it?" she wondered as she moves Luigi's wrist to make him press the button. Suddenly, the platform rose up a bit. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! This thing's levitating!"

Back at the dream world, right after the platform rose up, the patch of matter became larger and darker, and the electron disappeared. And that's not all: our heroes' feet were lifted off the ground as well!

"Whoa! Whoa! Why are we floating?!" Ribbon Girl panicked, unable to control herself in the air. Her skirt was now flowing and her ribbon ponytail was floating up.

"This is… Wait! Gravity is gone?" Kirby did not see that coming.

"Wheee! This is actually really fun!" Baby Mario beamed while doing some flips in midair.

"Dreamy!" Dreamy Jewel beamed; her ponytail was floating up and the bottom of her dress was flowing with the gravity absence. "This Luiginary Work can change the gravity in this area! I'll call it: Luiginary Antigravity!"

"That makes obvious sense-… Whoa, hey, hey! Come back!" Mario saw his cap floating out of his head with the antigravity and quickly pulled it down back to his head. "Never knew zero gravity could be a pain…"

"Since we can't walk in this state, we should try swimming in midair to move around." Dreamy Jewel suggested.

The gang, once they got the hang of handling zero gravity, began to swim around freely in this area to explore and reach places that were too high for them previously. They could also shoot themselves from the floor, gaining enough impulse to smash bricks blocking their path.

* * *

 _ **Some minutes later…**_

The gang finally caught up to Kamek and they ran towards him (with gravity, of course), causing him to turn around.

"We found you, Kamek!" Mario glared.

"Wh-what is this? You dare attempt to take me down?! I won't fall to you in here of all places! Attack!" Kamek said.

He begins by conjuring magical shapes with his wand, sending them upwards and surrounding the heroes from all four sides before making them enclose towards the heroes, but Dreamy Jewel used her Shield Tanzanite to block all of the magical shapes before they could hit the heroes.

"What the—Hey! That's cheating!" Kamek hissed.

"You do know that I'm also a magic wielder, right?" Dreamy Jewel replied, glaring at Kamek.

And before Kamek could react back, he was hit by a pink blast that came from Dreamy Jewel's Blast Pink Tourmaline. Angered, Kamek fires a simple ball of energy at them, but Kirby inhaled it, turning into Beam Kirby. Beam Kirby does his Beam Whip attack at Kamek, but he dodged it, only to get double slapped in the face by Ribbon Girl's Slapamanders on both hands.

Mario, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi then did the shockwave attack with their hammers to knock down Kamek, giving the chance for Beam Kirby to finish him off with Wave Beam.

"Kee-youch!" Kamek groaned.

"Wow, that was it?" Dreamy Luigi raised an eyebrow after coming out of his friends.

"Yeah, that was rather weak." Ribbon Girl threw in.

"Well, no matter! I'll escape to another dream world!" Kamek exclaimed upon standing up and getting on his broom. "I'll get you next time!" he disappears in a puff of smoke.

"I sense something might have changed in the real world." Dreambert stated.

"I can see the nightmare chunk right over there. Kamek was blocking our way to it." Dreamy Jewel pointed at the chunk up ahead. "Let's break it and free this Emerald from nightmare."

They all nodded and went towards the nightmare chunk to shatter it, revealing a Dreamy Green Chaos Emerald. They grabbed it and everything glowed brightly, and the darkened Emerald in the real world began to wiggle while releasing colorful sparkles.

* * *

The group came out of the dream portal, and Luigi and Jewel snapped awake before watching the Emerald regain its green color.

"We restored the Green Emerald!" Jewel picked up the Emerald. "One down, six to go."

"Hey, look!" Starlow directed to the room's doors, and everyone saw that the purple smokes surrounding them had disappeared. "The passages between rooms seem to be back to normal now that Kamek is gone from this room."

"Yeah, but I think he may have done that again in the next room." Jewel trailed. "Let's head to the next room and find out."

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, with Bowser and Antasma…**_

"Hmpf! Mario and his buddies… All up in my castle. Guy is probably patting himself on the back for knocking my pad down! What a JERK." Bowser said.

"SCREEET! This castle vill not be so easy to navigate… They vill fall long before they reach us… SCREEK!" Antasma screeched.

"Whatever. Forget about them! Let's conquer the world already!"

"SCREEP! Very vell… First, vee must fill some energy… SCREEKLE!"

"Right, right. Dream energy, gotcha. Wanna conk out some minions?"

"This time, Bowser… I vant YOU to sleep…"

"ME?!"

"Your ambition… Your power lust… This is bottomless und pure… The energy from your dreams vill be raw und powerful…"

"Yeah… You've got a point. I am pretty incredible. Let's do it! I'll throw a massive sleep down right now! And when I wake up, Mario will be gone and I'll conquer the world! YEAH! GWAHAHAHA!"

* * *

 _ **Back with the heroes…**_

"…Yep, I was right." Jewel said once they all reached the next room on the second floor and found that the doors were messed up again. "So Kamek and the other Chaos Emerald must be around here."

After some more confusing minutes later, the heroes managed to reach another Dreampoint behind the cage where there was another circular platform floating on the lava and another darkened Emerald was lying on it.

"This next Emerald is white, everyone!" Jewel saw her pillow turning white.

The heroes were back in the dream world and navigated around using the Luiginary Stache Tree. After reaching the deepest part of this dream world section, the heroes eventually came upon…Peach?

"Everyone! I'm so glad you came!" she smiled, only to be greeted by glares from everyone. "What's wrong? It's me, Peach! I'm a…damsel! Save me!"

"Sorry Kamek, but we won't fall for that trick again!" Mario growled.

" ***sigh*** yeah, OK, I guess you wouldn't bite on that again!" Kamek sighed, returning to his normal self.

He once again does the same attack with the magical shapes, but Dreamy Jewel once again blocked them with her Shield Tanzanite. Kamek shoots more and more magical shapes, but Dreamy Jewel keeps blocking them.

"Come on! What's the point on keep doing that? I can do this all day!" she smirked.

"Heh! I was just warming up! Get ready for my new magic trick!" Kamek smirked back.

With that, he uses his magic to create five clones of himself.

"Oh, not the cloning again…" Mario sweatdropped.

Four of the five Kameks summoned a Goomba, in which Mario and the baby bros easily stomped on them, and the remaining Kamek summoned a Dry Bones. The Dry Bones threw its bone boomerang at the heroes, only for Kirby to swallow it, turning into Cutter Kirby, and defeated the Dry Bones using Cutter Dash.

However, even if the heroes defeated the summoned enemies, the Kameks still kept summoning more.

"This is getting us nowhere!" Ribbon Girl exclaimed as she sets a Dry Bones on fire with her Slapamanders.

"One of them must be the real Kamek!" Cutter Kirby hollered upon defeating a row of Goombas with Final Cutter. "We just got to find the real one!"

"Hold up, didn't one of the Kameks only summon a Dry Bones?" Dreamy Jewel pondered while defeating more Goombas with energy blasts from her Energy Rock Crystal. "Maybe that one is the real one!"

"Of course! I almost didn't notice!"

"I and Ribbon Girl will take care of the minions. You, Mario and the babies take care of the real Kamek!"

"Got it!"

Cutter Kirby then told Mario and the babies about the real Kamek and they charged for him. The babies first stomped Kamek to force him down on the ground, giving Cutter Kirby the chance to deal more damage to him with Cleaving Cutter and Mario finished him off with the Luiginary Hammer attack.

With that, all of the Goombas and Dry Bones disappeared along with the fake Kameks.

"Urgh…" Kamek groaned.

"Seriously? You're just so easy to take down, Kamek! Even with your new trick, we still beat you!" Ribbon Girl commented.

"Kyahahaha!" Kamek suddenly got back up on his broom. "Next time won't be so easy, ribbon lady! I assure you!" he disappears again.

"Just how many times he'll keep doing that, anyway?" Dreamy Luigi asked.

"We're not sure, but we at least banished him in this section." Dreamy Jewel replied. "Let's go ahead and break that nightmare chunk right over there and free the Emerald."

They went to the chunk and shattered it. A Dreamy White Chaos Emerald came out of it and emitted a bright light everywhere once the heroes picked it up.

* * *

They were back at the real world again, and the White Chaos Emerald was restored.

"That was the second one. Five left." Jewel counted, putting the Emerald in her pocket. " _And we still didn't find Sonic…_ " she thought.

"And the doors in this room are restored." Starlow added. "Quick! Let's go after him!"

The gang rushed inside the door leading them to the next rooms up ahead.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Of course, tomorrow is Christmas eve, and I'm going to spent it with my father's family at my grandmother's apartment. Hope you all have a great Christmas! See ya! Please review.  
**


	26. Clash of the Titans

**Finished the next chapter!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

 **PS: Tomorrow is my 18th birthday! Time to say farewell to my teen years and move on to my adult years!**

* * *

 **Chapter 26: Clash of the Titans**

Upon reaching a more darkened room in the castle, the heroes saw Kamek in the middle about to use his magic on the doors again.

"Aha! We caught you!" Ribbon Girl exclaimed, forcing Kamek to interrupt his magic.

"KYAAAAAAAH! You IDIOTS!" Kamek yelled. "Great. Just great. You borked my magic! I didn't get to twist the doors as much as I would've liked… But no matter. It's still complex enough to trap your small brains. This is the end for you! Wander here FOREVER!" he retorted, before fleeing to another Dream World.

"Does he really think we're dumb enough on not finding our way? HE's the idiot here, not us!" Jewel smirked.

"You got that right, Jewel! Let's go and find a way to break through that cage!" Starlow said.

* * *

 _ **Some minutes later…**_

The heroes managed to lower the cage and found another Dreampoint with another Emerald encased in nightmare.

"We're about to free the red one!" Jewel saw her pillow turning red.

With that, the gang entered the Dream World and wandered around making the use of the Luiginary Propeller. Once they reached the deepest part of this Dream World segment, they found, as you would've guessed, Kamek.

"Argh! You found me again!" Kamek growled in frustration. "OK, no more playing tag! This ends here and now! I'm serious this time! No holding back!"

Kamek immediately began by creating three other clones of himself, but this time, he colored each of his three clones in different colors: green, white and red; the same colors of the first Emeralds the heroes have restored and are restoring.

The white Kamek creates a white ring on the ground around the heroes and encloses it, but the heroes managed to jump over it. Then, as the original, green and white Kameks fled, the red Kamek creates a giant broom and makes it sweep onto the heroes, but the baby brothers, alongside Dreamy Jewel using her Fire Ruby, did their Fire Flower Bros Attack to burn the broom, and it also allowed Kirby to inhale the flames, becoming Fire Kirby.

When the other Kameks came back, Dreamy Jewel hit all of them with her Blast Pink Tourmaline, followed by Ribbon Girl's Flurry Attack, which also caused all of the Kameks to get stunned due to her Sparkys, giving Fire Kirby the chance to use Burning Flame at them.

The Kameks then did their ring attack all at once instead of just the white Kamek, but even with four rings, the heroes managed to avoid them successfully by jumping as high as they could. Ribbon Girl then stuns the red Kamek with her Sparky, allowing Fire Kirby to unleash Fireball Inferno to defeat him, since the red Kamek had the lowest health.

The original Kamek summoned a bunch of stones shaped like Thwomps and sent them at the heroes, but Kirby discards his Fire ability and holds it on his hands before throwing it on one of the rocks, while Mario and the babies destroyed the rest with their hammers. Kirby inhales the fused Copy Abilities and the top of his head becomes a volcano and shoots burning rocks at the white Kamek, defeating him for having average health.

Dreamy Jewel blocked the magical shapes attack conjured by the green Kamek with her Shield Tanzanite before using her Portal Amethyst to summon two portals with purple markings, one in front of her, and the other right above the green Kamek, in which he didn't notice the latter. Dreamy Jewel then allows the baby brothers, who were holding the Dropchopper, to go inside the portal in front of her. This resulted in the babies doing an unexpected surprise attack from above the green Kamek, drilling onto him and defeating him, for him having the highest health.

To finish the original Kamek, Mario used another Luiginary Attack: the Luiginary Wall, where the Luiginoids gather in a wall that surrounded Kamek while Dreamy Luigi gets in front of Mario before the latter swings his hammer at him, making him spin around and charging through Kamek like a game of Breakout. This attack ended once Kamek fell on the ground in defeat.

"Bow…ser…" he groaned before going unconscious.

"Well, he's finally out of the way." Dreamy Jewel said. "Now let's shatter that nightmare chunk over there and free the Emerald."

The heroes walked to the chunk and shattered it, freeing a Dreamy Red Chaos Emerald. However, once the heroes vanished in the dream world, Kamek woke up and spoke to himself:

"This cannot be…the end… Not for me… I must…give…my magic…to His Churlishness…" he vanishes.

* * *

Back with the heroes, they were back at the real world and watched the darkened Emerald regain its red color.

"Three Emeralds, four to go." Jewel said, putting the Emerald in her pocket.

"Finally, we can move forward properly now." Starlow smiled.

"Correct. But do not let your guards down." Dreambert warned. "Everyone! Be mindful!"

They all nodded and moved forward. On the next room, Dreambert suddenly stopped them:

"Halt!" he points to the far reach of the room, where there was a door with many of these purple vines around it. "I feel the presence of Antasma! Everyone! Let's finish this!"

Everyone then charged towards the final stretch to the door…only to have their progress cut out when a yellow flamethrower came out of nowhere, and the heroes were almost burnt by it.

"Whoa! Where did that come from?!" Starlow flinched.

"This flame…" Dreambert suspected.

"That's not the only one! Look up ahead!" Jewel pointed, where two more flamethrowers showed up from what appears to be portals. The middle flamethrower was cyan, and the furthest one was purplish-magenta. "That's odd… The color of those flames match three other colors of the Chaos Emeralds!"

"You're right, Jewel! They're in yellow, cyan, and purple!" Mario pointed out. "Is there a connection between them?"

"Hmm, those flamethrowers appear to erupt from an Emerald in separate dream worlds…" Dreambert stated. "Doubtless we can only douse them by traveling to each world and freeing the Emeralds from nightmare… There must be Dreampoints somewhere near the flames! Let's find them to stop the fire!"

They nodded and began to find their way to each of the three Dreampoints to free the Yellow, Cyan, and Purple Emeralds in order to douse their respective flames.

They found the first Dreampoint next to the yellow flamethrower on the right side. Inside the dream world, they progressed through it by using the Luiginary Speedometer. Once they found the source of the flamethrower, they noticed that the Dreamy Emerald trapped inside the nightmare chunk was releasing said flamethrower through the chunk and into the portal on its front. All the heroes had to do is to shatter the chunk and grab the Dreamy Yellow Chaos Emerald.

As soon as the Dreamy Emerald was freed, the yellow flamethrower at the real world doused out. The heroes noticed that the flamethrower had disappeared upon their arrival back at the real world. Now just two more flamethrowers and three more Emeralds remaining.

* * *

 _ **A few hours later…**_

The gang successfully managed to douse the two remaining flames by freeing the Cyan and Purple Chaos Emeralds, opening their way to what might be Bowser and Antasma's room. And since our heroes were unable to find Sonic in any of those Emeralds they freed, they suspected he could be trapped in the very one he kept with him all the time in their adventure: the Blue Chaos Emerald.

They arrived in a dark chamber, filled with purple vines they kept seeing all over the castle; they thought this room might be the source of those vines. They kept going forward until Starlow spotted something up ahead:

"There! It's Bowser!" what was odd is that they found him sleeping on a very familiar-looking pillow. "Unbelievable. He's sleeping."

"Great! Let's KO him while he's KO'd!" Baby Mario exclaimed, impulsive as always, as he jumps towards Bowser.

"Wait, big bro! I don't think that's a good-…"

"OWCH!" but Baby Luigi couldn't finish when all of a sudden, a force field appeared around Bowser just as Baby Mario was about to stomp his head, and the former was hit by it and knocked back on the floor.

"…idea." Baby Luigi finished his sentence, even though it was already too late.

"No! Do not approach him! Look! Beneath his head…" Dreambert eyed at the sinister pillow under Bowser's head.

"That foul pillow… Is that…Antasma?!" Starlow's eyes widened.

"Yes… And… He's likely absorbing the power of Bowser's dream as he sleeps…"

"Oh, so that means… He's converting Bowser's dreams into energy!" Jewel concluded.

"Yes, and the castle pulses with life due to that energy. These vine-like things are distributing it throughout."

"So that's why those vine things were everywhere!" Ribbon Girl confirmed. "No wonder… These vines are powering the castle…"

"Yes… And these vines originate with Antasma. If Bowser wakes up, the energy flow will soon cease, but…"

"But what? Let's detach Bowser from Antasma right now!" Starlow exclaimed.

"Hello? Haven't you seen what happened earlier with Baby Mario?" Ribbon Girl questioned. "There's an invisible force field that prevents us from doing so!"

"Oh, yeah. You have a point."

Everyone went into deep thought; how are they going to wake up Bowser? That is, until Luigi saw something next to the bed (outside of the force field, of course):

"Eh? Hey, look at this!"

The rest of the gang looked to where Luigi directed, and to their surprise, it was the last petrified Chaos Emerald!

"Hey! That's the last Emerald to free from nightmare!" Jewel beamed. She takes out her pillow, watching it turn blue. "There's no doubt about it; Sonic must be in there!"

"Wait, so does this mean that he's in Bowser's dream world? I am not liking this already…" Mario sighed. "How unfortunate of him to end up in Bowser's dream out of all the other dream worlds he could be…"

"So we'll have no choice but to enter Bowser's dream world in order to find Sonic and free the Emerald." Ribbon Girl sweatdropped. "The question is: how are we going to do that?"

"That's a good question…" Luigi pondered.

"Hmm… That's it!" Dreambert came with an idea. "We could attempt the same thing we did to awaken Big Massif!"

"You mean I should sleep next to Bowser?"

"Sort of. I shall attach myself to these vines… It will merge Luigi's dream with Bowser's… And with luck, we can wake Bowser from the dream world and free the Chaos Emerald!"

"Oh, yeah! I get it! That might work!"

"Very well. These connect directly to Antasma… If I bind myself to this…"

Dreambert then flies next to the petrified Emerald while turning into his pillow form and attaching himself to some of these vines.

"Alright! Let's head into Bowser's dream, find Sonic, free the Emerald and wake Bowser!" Jewel exclaimed before falling asleep next to Luigi with her pillow as the rest of the gang jumped into the portal.

* * *

Once they arrived in Bowser's dream, they were of course, already creeped out by this place.

"This place is giving me the creeps…" Kirby whimpered.

"Tell me about it…" Ribbon Girl added.

"Well, the sooner we find Bowser and wake him up, the sooner we're out of this nightmare." Dreamy Jewel said.

They all went onward, until they heard a voice:

"MARIO!"

…following up by Bowser landing in front of them.

"Bowser!" Mario glared at him, as well as the others.

"Even here? In my DREAMS? Typical. You and the others are the worst." Bowser scolded.

"Excuse me?!" Ribbon Girl retorted.

"Well, FINE! You wanna know what's in this head, pals? FEAR!"

Bowser snaps his fingers, summoning a spiked ball in front of him.

"GROW!"

In an instant, the spiked ball grew in size, startling the heroes.

"HOLY MOLY!" they yelled.

"Now go crush them all!" Bowser ordered, and the spiked ball began to roll towards them.

"RUN!" Dreamy Luigi yelled and the gang ran off.

"GWAHAHAHA!" Bowser laughed before disappearing.

As the gang was running away from the spiked ball, tons of laughing large Bowser faces showed up in the background as to tease them.

"AAAHH! This is too scary!" Baby Luigi cried out.

"Hurry! Up there!" Dreamy Jewel pointed to the ledge above, trying her best to ignore the large laughing Bowser faces, and everyone climbed up to safety.

"Whew…" Baby Mario sighed.

"That was close…" Dreamy Luigi remarked.

"I was starting to get creeped out by all of those Bowser faces laughing at us…" Kirby whimpered in fear. "This is more like Bowser's nightmare rather than dream!"

"I am definitely with you right there, Kirby." Suddenly, a familiar voice came in.

"Huh? Sonic?" Mario recognized that voice. Indeed, Sonic showed up from the left.

"Sonic! We found you!" Dreamy Jewel beamed. "You don't have to worry; we've restored all of the Chaos Emeralds except for this one."

"That's good and all, but I just wish I was out of here like right now." Sonic replied. "Those giant spiked balls just keep popping up out of nowhere! And I can't even tell you how many times I was chased by those things. Not to mention all of these giant Bowser heads laughing at me are always disturbing me."

"How unfortunate… Just like what Mario said about you… Just by looking at Bowser's dreams, we can see his true desires against his archenemies: he wants to trounce them in the best way possible. And because this is his dreams, he can make any of those into reality."

"Fair point." Mario nodded. "So we better find and defeat Bowser in here as soon as possible before anything gets worse."

They immediately nodded and ventured on, trying their best to avoid Bowser's deathtraps and anything he came up with in this twisted nightmarish dream.

* * *

 _ **With Bowser…**_

"Lord Bowser!" a Paratroopa said. "We prepped some juicy, tender, power-upping meats for you!"

"Ha! Man, being in my dream just plain rules!" Bowser smirked. "Look at all this meat! I can eat all I want!" he then goes all Kirby and inhales all of the meat that was on the plate the Shy Guys are carrying. "YUM!" he suddenly grew a bit. "BAAAARP! Not bad! Now more! More meat!"

"O-OK… Yes, sir!" the Paratroopa flew off, until… "AAAAAH!"

"Comin' through!" Sonic exclaimed as he and the rest of the heroes arrived. "Sorry to interrupt your meal, Turtle Breath!" he smirked.

"What?! Really? You all made it here?!" Bowser didn't believe that. He jumped a few feet away from the heroes and ordered: "Hey! You! Minions! Make with the meat! I've gotta power up to smash these guys!"

"O-OK… Yes, sir!" the Paratroopa nodded before flying up as the Shy Guys carrying another plate have arrived. "Order up!" more meat then fell onto the plate. Bowser inhales them again. "YUM!" he grows even more.

"D-Did he just get bigger?!" Dreamy Luigi stuttered.

"He did!" Mario clenched his fists angrily.

"Also, did I just saw him inhaling like Kirby does?!" Sonic questioned.

"Don't look at me! I would never teach him that!" Kirby shook his head.

"More! MOOOORE!" Bowser demanded. "Gotta get stronger to stomp Mario and co!"

"Extra large!" the Paratroopa said, and this time, larger meat fell on the plate, and Bowser inhaled all of them again.

"SNARF! MONCH!" Bowser grew a bit more than before. "Not done yet! Gotta get bigger!"

"Lord Bowser! Um… Uhhhh… No more meat."

This news made Bowser infuriated, with steam coming out of his head. And in the midst of fury…

"GRAAWR! MUST GET BIGGERRR!" he began to suck everything up around him. "GOTTA CRUSH MARIO AND HIS PALS WITH A SINGLE PUNCH! MORE MEEEAT!" he eventually…jumps down into the lava below.

"L-L-L-L-Lord Bowser! No! A fall from here would be…fatal!" the Paratroopa cried out before flying down.

"What… Did he…fall to his doom?" Dreambert questioned.

"Why would Bowser do that…" Dreamy Jewel breathed.

"Well… That worked out! Let's find the nightmare chunk to free the Emerald from nightmare!"

"Hold up." Mario interfered with a serious look on his face. "I doubt it's over already. Throughout all of my adventures, I usually drop Bowser down a lava pit like that one. And the result? He always comes back like if it was nothing."

"YOU GOT THAT RIGHT, MARIO!" all of a sudden, Bowser's voice echoed as he suddenly showed up, now gigantic than ever, and destroys the platform the heroes were on.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" they screamed as they fell down to the lowest level. Earthquakes came in due to Giant Bowser falling down each of the levels until he reached theirs, and was now looming over them.

"GRAAAWR!" he roared. "Time to give up hope, pests! In my dreams, I fear nothing! I can crush even you like little bugs!"

"Bowser… Master…" Kamek came in. "Kee… Kee hee hee… You've grown so big… I will…use my magic…to make you greater!"

All of the heroes were glaring at Giant Bowser; they weren't feeling a slightest bit of fear. Even Dreamy Luigi was looking even more determined than ever as he looked at his friends and asked:

"You all ready?"

"Ready!" the rest nodded.

At the same time, in the real world, Luigi suddenly gave a confident smile while simply tipping down his cap instead of pulling down his cap in fear he usually does in previous giant battles. Even Starlow noticed that.

"Wow, Luigi… You seem…so confident! Way different than usual… Are you…fighting Bowser? Well, give it your all!" she smiled before pushing the emblem on his cap.

In the dream world, Dreamy Luigi began to grow gigantic until he reached his maximum size, with him and his friends glaring fearlessly at Giant Bowser.

"Let's do this, guys!" Giant Luigi exclaimed, looking down at his friends while fist pumping.

"YEAH!" they replied before jumping on top of his cap. However, Giant Bowser was not happy at all now that there's another giant in the fray:

"Transforming into a giant… I invented that, pal!" he stomps forward before roaring and continuing: "No way some green stache gets to bite MY style!"

"Bowser, sire! Your loyal minions stand at the ready!" Kamek reported.

"Alright, everyone! You must defeat Bowser! Save this good world!" Dreambert hollered, with everyone nodding.

The two giants then charged for each other before being pushed back by the collision of their charge attacks.

"Ah, time for my dream to finally come true!" Giant Bowser smirked. "SHOWTIME!" he orders his airships toward Giant Luigi, where they blasted away part of the bridge behind him. "GWAHAHAHA! Nowhere to run!" he teased.

"Remember all you've learned, Dreamy Luigi! AND WIN THIS DAY!" Dreamy Jewel hollered. "And remember that we're all with you!"

"Got it!" Giant Luigi nodded. "So, where do I start?"

"Maybe you should try knocking him into the lava." Mario suggested. "Even though lava is unable to KO him like I mentioned before, it was enough for it to defeat him. But now that he's gigantic, I think it will only weaken him."

Giant Luigi then pulled out his hammer and does a Hammer Uppercut to send Giant Bowser into the lava behind him, where he took major damage than the hammer attack. Enraged, Giant Bowser jumps out of the lava, charges for Giant Luigi, and grabs him to try to push him into the lava, but Giant Luigi manages to break free from Giant Bowser's grasp by shaking him off before pushing him back. Giant Bowser charges towards Giant Luigi again in order to tackle him with his shoulder, but Giant Luigi quickly stepped away from him, and Giant Bowser fell into the lava again.

Giant Bowser jumped back onto the bridge and landed on a different type of floor; a grate, giving Dreamy Jewel a thought:

"That floor seems unstable… Dreamy Luigi! Stomp him!"

Giant Luigi did as he was told, and the floor crumbled underneath Giant Bowser, making him fall into the lava once again.

"GRRAAAH! This is getting annoying!" Giant Bowser roared once he got out of the lava. "Take this!"

He breathes fire at Giant Luigi, only for him to jump up and grab onto one of the airships, using it to swing and jump off of it towards Giant Bowser, kicking him into the lava again.

"That's IT! No more sending into lava!" Giant Bowser growled.

With that, he jumps behind a fortress, which now looked small compared to how big both combatants were, and commands a bunch of Magikoopas to charge a large orb blast to send it at Giant Luigi, but he knocked it back with his hammer, defeating all of the Magikoopas. Next, Giant Bowser commands a troupe of Spear Guys to walk towards Giant Luigi and latch onto his legs to poke them with their spears, but he quickly shakes all of them off.

Giant Bowser then commands the airships to fire cannon shots at Giant Luigi, but he engaged all of them by swinging his hammer either vertically or horizontally depending on the pattern. Finally, Giant Bowser orders Shy Guys to come out of the fortress to feed him meat in order to restore his health. Giant Luigi prevented that from happening by pounding his hammer on the floor to make an earthquake, which made Giant Bowser get stunned and the meat bounced off his head.

After all those commanding attacks, Giant Bowser had enough and leaps onto the fortress and tries to do a body slam at Giant Luigi, only for him to step back at the last second, leaving Giant Bowser stunned on the floor. This gave the chance for Giant Luigi to pick him up by his tail and swing him around like Mario did back in _Super Mario 64_ before tossing him at the fortress, destroying it and sending Giant Bowser into the lava one more time. Upon returning to the bridge, Giant Bowser looked behind him, only to see a dead end.

"Huh?! Whah?! Nowhere to go!" he flinched. He looked around and saw a circular arena at the distance. "THERE! THAT'S where I'll finish you!" he leaps towards that arena, followed up by Giant Luigi. "Time to say night-night!"

Giant Bowser then retreats into his shell and spins continuously, like the Whirling Fortress move in the _Smash Bros_ games, ready to charge at Giant Luigi.

"Fight back in kind, Dreamy Luigi!" Dreamy Jewel encouraged.

Giant Luigi nodded and takes out his hammer before spinning around like a top, and the two giants began their game of "Repel the Shell", with them bouncing around the arena. The game was won by Giant Luigi when he successfully knocked Giant Bowser in the lava one last time, and once he came out, he was looking dazed.

"Everyone! It's time! The final Finishing Team will pay for all!" Dreamy Jewel announced.

With that, the gang executed the Finishing Team Attack at Giant Bowser, knocking him to the ground. The gang celebrated…but when it seemed that they've won, none other than Kamek showed up in front of Giant Bowser and lamented weakly:

"Ohhh, sire… Bowser… How could this happen… And yet… There is still hope. With my last spell, I will give you tremendous power… Minions, rise for Bowser! GIVE HIM YOUR POWER!"

"YEEAAAAHH!" the Magikoopas exclaimed once they showed up around Giant Bowser.

They all casted their spell on Giant Bowser, and much to the heroes' horror, Giant Bowser rose up back again, now even more gigantic than ever, knocking down all of the Magikoopas including Kamek in the process. Bowser felt a great amount of power in him and roared loudly at the heroes.

"Oh no, no, NO! That is NOT good!" Giant Luigi panicked. "Plus, I can't grow bigger than that!"

"We're screwed…" Kirby froze in fear.

"GAAHAAHAA! I FEEL GREAT! FINISHING YOU WILL BE CAKE!" Bowser yelled.

He breathes a huge fireball at Giant Luigi, but he quickly knocks it back with his hammer to send Bowser back into the lava, making him dazed again.

"Yes! He's all woozy! It's our chance to attack!" Dreambert hollered.

"But Dreambert! Bowser is way too powerful! And we can't execute the Finishing Team again!" Dreamy Jewel warned.

"I know, but we can execute an alternative way of this attack! Don't you remember that you can call your sister?"

"Oh, yes! My sister! Are you saying we'll use her help to finish Bowser?"

"Correct."

"Right! Dreamy Luigi! Do the same thing as before while I call my sister!"

"Okay!" Giant Luigi nodded.

He does the super jump again, and once they reached the starry skies, a pink sparkling hologram of Jewel's sister, Princess Melissa, showed up.

" _You called me, sister?"_ she asked.

"Yes! We need your help!" Dreamy Jewel requested. Melissa then looked at the heroes and smiled:

" _We've met once again, Mario and Luigi. And I see you have some new friends with you. Pleased to meet you all! I am Melissa, princess of the Star Realm and Jewel's twin sister. I have helped Mario and Luigi on their previous adventure last year, where they found out their identity for being two of the seven Star Children."_

"That's what Mario told us!" Sonic exclaimed.

" _Interesting. Now, you might know that Bowser is also a Star Child, so taking him out won't be easy. But if I use my magic using Mario and Luigi's Star Power through their brotherly bond, I can make this Star grow depending on how big their bond is."_

Melissa then concentrates, giving her blessing to the Mario Brothers, causing their bodies to be surrounded in a golden aura, including their baby selves, who then remembered that Mario told them that he and Luigi had that power since they were newborns. Eventually, the Star also glowed in a golden aura, and it grew ten times its original size. Everyone was impressed, including Melissa.

" _Incredible… The combination of the adult and the baby-sized brothers' bond made this Star grow so huge… This shows that the Mario Brothers have a very deep bond, and this makes me happy."_ She smiled. _"If you use this modified Star, it will defeat Bowser for good since it's filled with Good Star Power."_

"Good Star Power?" Mario asked.

" _Star Power is always neutral. Depending on the Star Child's alignment, the Star Power within him or her can be Good or Bad. Good Star Power always defeats Bad, and vice-versa. The more Good or Bad Star Power, the more powerful it is to overcome Bad Star Power or Good Star Power respectively. So by only using Mario and Luigi's Star Power, with both having Good Star Power, I was able to fill this Star with only this type of Star Power, which will then beat Bowser's Bad Star Power."_

"Oh, I get it! So this Star is now filled with positive energy!"

" _That's correct. Now, everyone! Go use this enhanced Star to finish Bowser and wake him up! I call this new Attack: the Finishing Dream Team!"_

"Finishing Dream Team? I LOVE that name!" Dreamy Jewel beamed. "Alright, everyone! Let's do this!"

"YEAH!" the rest fist pumped.

" _I wish you all good luck on saving my sister's home."_ Melissa said.

With that, Mario and his friends hopped on the giant Star, but before the babies were able to, Melissa sent them a shining golden star to them, flying into Baby Mario's pocket.

" _This is something I made for Mario and Luigi, but you can have it since you're the brothers' younger selves and you also have the power of the Star Children, because this item can only be used by them. This is a Star Rocket. Use it only when you have to. Farewell!"_ Melissa's hologram disappears.

The babies smiled before they hopped on the Star last. Giant Luigi grabs the Star, spins it around, and tosses it downwards at Bowser's direction. However, Mario and co also had to dodge some fireballs as they make their way to Bowser. Once they avoided all of the fireballs, they rammed the Star right through Bowser, this time, defeating him for good in just one hit.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Yep, Princess Melissa made a cameo in this story! Makes sense since she's Jewel's sister! I first thought to write the Giant Battle with Bowser in a separate chapter, but once I put the last fight with Kamek, this chapter was still too short, so I went all "screw it, I'll put the Giant Battle here then". For me, this fight against Bowser wasn't too bad at all; I never died both the first time I played and in my recent playthrough. If you have good timing and precision, you'll definitely win the fight without dying once.  
**

 **Up next comes the fight against Antasma! So two more chapters left to end this story! Please review.**


	27. The Final Antasma Battle

**I did some more changes in my profile, including the name of this Saga; it is now called the Descendants Saga.**

 **Anyways, enjoy this chapter! ;)  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 27: The Final Antasma Battle**

"We did it!" Kirby exclaimed.

"Well, that turned out great." Dreamy Luigi smiled once he returned to normal. "We've done it thanks to Melissa."

"You all are one with greatness!" Dreambert appraised. "Antasma's energy has surely grown weaker this time! So it is finally time for the final battle with Antasma!"

"About time!" Sonic grinned.

"But, what about the nightmare chunk?" Dreamy Jewel pondered.

"We have the answer right here, Jewel." Ribbon Girl came in carrying said chunk. "Bowser must of have swallowed it as well since I found it near where he exploded."

"Oh, great! Let's shatter it and return to the real world!"

The gang then shattered the chunk, freeing a Dreamy Blue Chaos Emerald. They picked it up, and everything glowed around them while the petrified Emerald in the real world began to wiggle and emit colorful sparkles.

* * *

Everyone was back at the real world, and once Luigi and Jewel woke up, the Emerald releases Sonic before regaining its blue color back.

"Phew, finally I'm out of that dreadful nightmare." He sighed before putting the Blue Emerald in his quills. "What about the rest of the Emeralds?"

"They're right here." Jewel pulled out the remaining Emeralds from her pocket and handed them to Sonic, who put them in his quills. Suddenly, they heard a yell:

"YOU FOOLS!" it was from Bowser, who was now awake and Antasma was standing next to him. "How dare you invade my dreams?! That's private Bowser time!"

"SCREENK! Always, these pests vex us…" Antasma screeched.

"Hmph! 'Vex'? Whatever. Time to finish these twerps!" Antasma turns into his bat form and Bowser grabs onto him. "Hey, dorks! We'll be upstairs! Don't chicken out!"

"SCREENKY! This is the end for you, Dreambert… SCREETCH! I vill never give you the Dream Stone… SCREE!" the two villains flew upwards.

"Foul Antasma…" Dreambert muttered.

"Look! The energy that flowed through the vines…" Starlow directed to the vines, which now became lifeless and gray.

"It flows no more because Bowser awoke."

"All right! There must be a dead end up here somewhere! Let's corner them both and finish this thing!"

"Everyone! We near the end. The final battle is finally upon us!"

"That's right. We are a team. A Dream Team, to be precise. We all came so far and we've been together throughout this whole adventure. As long as we fight together, good always overcomes bad!" Jewel exclaimed with determination.

" _ ***gasp***_ _those words… Why do they sound familiar…?_ " Dreambert thought as his vision suddenly changes to a flashback from a million years ago.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _In a neon-raining city, there stood an evil silver being shaped like a giant sun, bearing only one eye and a mouth. That being was smirking evilly and looming over a group of 15 people, who were glaring at it with determination as they held out their weapons._

 _Their leader, who was standing in the front of the group, looked very similar to the girl seen on the walls in the Pi'illo Temple, wearing the same pink and golden princess dress with a golden tiara and was holding a golden fan._

" _I don't care how powerful you might be! I refuse to let you steal more faces from innocent people and make them suffer! I and all of my friends here have done the impossible as a team throughout our journey to defeat the Dark Lord!" the leader said, before turning to her friends standing behind her and continued: "And I know, team…that deep in my heart… As long as we fight together…good always overcomes bad!"_

 _ **End of Flashback**_

* * *

" _Wow, Jewel… You're just like you mother when she was a teenager…_ " Dreambert thought while smiling.

The group then took the elevator at the end of the room, taking them to the castle's catwalk, where they found the evil duo up ahead.

"SCREEP! Impressive, to haff come so far…" Antasma muttered.

"Antasma! Hear me! This is the end for you!" Dreambert hollered. "This time, I will ensure you never return!"

"SCREEK! I haff heard those vords before, a long time ago… But this time vill be different… I haff Bowser on my si-…"

 ***SLAM!***

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Bowser slammed Antasma hard on the floor!

"Vut?! Ouch!" Antasma groaned as he got back up.

"Hmph! I don't work well with others!" Bowser scoffed.

"SCREEK! Vut do you mean by this?!"

"I mean you're an idiot! You thought you were using me? ME?! Buddy, I was playing you like a bat fiddle!"

"Vut in the… No! How could you?!"

"I'll tell you how. This castle? Peach? The Dream Stone? This Island? ALL MINE. You hear me? They belong to Bowser!"

"Lord Bowser! Everything's set!" a Green Paratroopa came in, carrying Peach.

"MARIO! LUIGI!" she called out.

"Why don't you guys have yourselves a pity party? Me, I'm done with you." Bowser said before taking out the Dream Stone. "Dream Stone! Let's get dreamy! Take me to the top!"

With that, a magical field around Bowser and the Paratroopa appeared and levitated them upwards.

"Such a betrayal…" Jewel remarked. "That double-crosser…"

"Antasma, I pity you!" Dreambert exclaimed.

"SCREEP! Save your pity. Save it for Bowser!" Antasma hissed. "But before I take him… Dreambert… I vill… TAKE YOU!"

"So it comes to this, Antasma! I accept! Let us settle this once and for all!"

Dreambert and Antasma flew up into the air and clashed with each other several times before they landed back.

"Is that all?! Come on!" Dreambert braced himself.

Antasma turns into his original form and creates a Dream Portal.

"SCREEYEE! I can open dream portals venever I vish now… For that is vut I vished from the Dream Stone… In the dream vorld, I vill be at full strength… I haff changed, Dreambert. You haff been varned…" Antasma said before fleeing into the dream world.

"No! Stop!" Dreambert yelled before following Antasma. The heroes tried to go along, but the portal vanishes.

"Dreambert!" Starlow cried out.

"Oh god… He shouldn't of have gone after Antasma alone…" Jewel trailed.

Then three seconds later, the same portal reopened and Dreambert was thrown out of it. The heroes had a shocked look on their faces because Dreambert was badly injured.

"OH NO! Dreambert!" Jewel shouted in horror as she and the others kneeled down to him. "Hold on!" she quickly pulls out her Healing Garnet and tries to heal Dreambert's wounds.

"Argh… He has…grown stronger…" Dreambert groaned. "Jewel… Daughter of Zynthia…who once saved this world… I beg of you and your friends… Please save…the island…and the Dream Stone…" he went unconscious.

"Dreambert…" Jewel mused. She then clenched her fist and looked at everyone with a determined look. "Come on, team. Let's fight off Antasma. The fate of my and Dreambert's island depends on us."

The rest of the heroes looked at each other before nodding and followed Jewel to the Dream Portal. Before Luigi was able to jump in too, Dreambert stopped him:

"No…wait Luigi… You will enter the Dream World…by other means…"

* * *

The heroes were in Antasma's Battlefield, where they watched Antasma himself take on his demonic sorcerer form just how he looked like all the way in the beginning. He then summons a ring of black orbs called Antasmunchies around him and eats two of them, boosting his strength.

"Hold up! Where's older me?" Baby Luigi noticed that Luigi wasn't with them.

Eventually, Dreambert's spiritual form came in, looking rather weak.

"Everyone…" he moaned.

"Dreambert?" Jewel awed. Dreambert shook it off before saying:

"I will help as well… Dreamy Luigi! Come on!"

"Here I am!" Dreamy Luigi appeared behind the heroes before merging within them.

"NOW we're talking!" Sonic smirked. "Let's do this!"

Antasma started by creating clones of himself. One of them charged an energy orb and sent it at the heroes, but Mario and the babies knocked it back at all of the Antasmas, forcing them to merge back into one again.

The baby brothers did their jump attack together to create more falling Luiginoids to stomp Antasma and the Antasmunchies, damaging them a bit, allowing Sonic to destroy all of the Antasmunchies with his Homing Attack. Enraged, Antasma tried to attack Sonic, but Ribbon Girl stunned him with her Sparkys, and Jewel blasted him with her Blast Pink Tourmaline.

Just then, Antasma created more Antasmunchies and after eating two more of them, he made the rest grow spikes and made them explode when in contact to the ground, creating a shockwave that damaged everyone.

"UGH!" the heroes groaned by the impact.

"You fools are vorthless…" Antasma snickered before charging another energy orb and firing it at the heroes, but then, Kirby suddenly got up and inhaled the orb, transforming into his Flare Beam Super Ability. "VAT?! NO VAY!"

"It's been a long time since I don't use my Super Abilities…" Flare Beam Kirby said. "TAKE THIS!"

He charges a large beam ball of energy with his wand and guides it towards Antasma, dealing major damage to him. Soon, the rest of the heroes got up and were amazed at Kirby.

"Wow, Kirby! What kind of new ability is that?" Ribbon Girl asked.

"It's one of my Super Abilities. They are similar to five of my regular Copy Abilities, but taken to a new level. This one is the Flare Beam Ability." Flare Beam Kirby explained.

"I guess…I have underestimated you…" Antasma groaned. "…but can you match THIS?!"

Antasma then exploded in a puff of purple smoke and a group of bats came out from the smoke and charged at the heroes. They had a hard time to dodge them, and some of the bats actually hit them. Jewel, on the other hand, casted a shield around her with her Shield Quartz. However, once the bat swarm ended, Jewel watched the heroes suddenly falling asleep and judging by their faces, it looked like they were having a nightmare.

"Oh no…!" she gasped, increasing the shield to protect her and her allies against Antasma's attacks while Dreambert heals them.

In the heroes' dream, or rather, nightmare, they were being chased by a slightly larger Antasma shooting purple fireballs at them. While this kept going, back in Antasma's battlefield, Jewel kept dealing damage to Antasma and the Antasmunchies by shooting energy blast with her Energy Rock Crystal to keep him busy, until he hung upside-down and going into hibernation mode like how bats do.

"Shoot! He's trying to recover his health!" Jewel flinched. "Everyone, please wake up!" but the heroes wouldn't wake up. "Hmm… That's it!"

Since Antasma is not attacking anymore, Jewel disabled the shield and pulled out her Awakening Black Pearl, using it on the heroes, causing them to immediately snap awake.

"Oof, what a nightmare…" Flare Beam Kirby groaned.

"What happened?" Jewel asked.

"We were in an endless chase with Antasma! It was horrible!" Baby Luigi exclaimed horrified.

"It's okay; it was just a bad dream. Now let's hurry up and finish Antasma before he recovers his health back!"

Flare Beam Kirby then shot another beam energy ball at Antasma, causing him to fall down back to the ground, stunned. This gave a chance for Mario to perform the last Luiginary Attack to finish off Antasma: the Luiginary Typhoon, where Dreamy Luigi spawns a tornado structure composed of Luiginoids with Mario holding a rope composed of smaller Luiginoids, tugging on it to make the Luiginoid tornado get pulled towards him and he lets go of it at the last second as if he was winding up a top, yanking the rope and whipping it into a great typhoon full of Luiginoids, who brought out their hammers and spun with them, dealing more damage.

With that, Antasma was finally defeated. The heroes then quickly escaped out of the dream world, and were back at the real world, where Luigi snaps awake and a now injured and weakened Antasma came out of the portal before it closed.

"SCREEHEEEECH! SCREEP! SCREEEEBTH!" he screeched in pain before exploding into nothingness. Antasma was now gone for good.

"Wahoo! We did it!" Baby Mario cheered. "We defeated Antasma!"

"Yes, at last… We win at last!" Dreambert exclaimed. "Everyone… You have my thanks!"

"Well, Antasma is no more. But we still have another big bad on the loose!" Jewel stated with a serious look on her face.

"Yes, we must focus! We must finish Bowser!"

"Easy, Dreambert! Don't push yourself!" Starlow warned.

"It is all right. I am well. Everyone. Onward!"

"Yes! Now it's DEFINITELY the final battle!"

"Bowser and his minions are atop the castle. We must focus on power and pursue!"

"You said it, Dreambert. It is time to finish this once and for all!" Mario hollered. "Let's do this, everyone!"

"YEAH!" the rest nodded.

They then took off forwards, ready to deal with Bowser.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **The final chapter of this story will be posted tomorrow! Stay tuned! Please review.  
**


	28. Adventure's End

**Here it is! The final chapter of this story!**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Final Chapter: Adventure's End**

The heroes walked into the last corridor, determination filling all their faces, and were now standing in a room with a winding staircase. However, once our heroes stepped into the room, at the very top of the staircase, there were none other than the Elite Trio standing next to some huge Bob-ombs.

"Oh, come ON! Seriously! They already caught up!" Corporal Paraplonk complained.

"No good! We can expect no mercy!" Sergeant Guy exclaimed.

"Corporal Paraplonk! Sergeant Guy! We will defend this castle, men! Rise up! THIS IS OUR TIME!" Private Goomp encouraged.

"YEAH!" they all fist pumped and started rolling down some huge Bob-ombs down the stairs.

At the bottom floor, the heroes spotted the rolling huge Bob-ombs coming to them.

"Look out! Large Bob-ombs are coming to us!" Jewel warned.

They climbed up, avoiding the rolling Bob-ombs in their way. Once they finally made it to the top, they found the Elite Trio, who backed up a bit.

"Whoa!" Corporal Paraplonk flinched.

"We have contact! They got through!" Sergeant Guy exclaimed in unbelief.

"Seriously? You bozos again? Haven't you had enough already?" Sonic questioned.

"How about you just step out of our way? In exchange, we won't hurt you." Ribbon Girl said.

"OK then…" Private Goomp started.

"GET ELITE!" suddenly, the Elite Trio charged for the heroes, but they simply stepped to the side, causing the three to run off to the ledge. They comically stopped in midair and they looked down, noticing that there was no ground below them.

"EVERY DANG TIME!" Private Goomp cried out as he fell down.

"That's it for me." Sergeant Guy said, being the next to fall down.

"Well, I guess that's par for the course…" Corporal Paraplonk finished, falling down last.

 ***THUD!***

They hit the ground hard, and at the top, the heroes looked down from the fence.

"That must've hurt a lot…" Ribbon Girl remarked. "It's a long way down from here."

"I can't help but feel sorry for them…" Kirby said.

"You know, I'm with you as well, Kirby." Mario replied. "But now, we must forge ahead. We have a big bad to take care of."

The rest nodded and went ahead, taking one last elevator to reach the very top of the main tower of the castle. There, they found Peach trapped in a cage.

"Mario! Luigi!" she called out.

The heroes immediately rushed towards the cage, but suddenly, the floor in front of them crumbled, startling everyone.

"GWAHAHA!" Bowser's laugh came. The heroes looked up and saw him still levitating with the power of the Dream Stone before landing in front of them. "It's about to end for you, chumps!"

"What? Look, just drop the tough-guy act, already!" Sonic growled. "We've beaten you many times no matter how powerful you've become! Also, without that Dream Stone, you're a little NOTHING!"

"Hmph! Hey, blue rat, I'm just using available resources! That's called STRATEGY! Look it up!"

"Can you STOP calling me that?!"

"Nonetheless, we cannot allow you to use the Dream Stone any longer!" Dreambert said. "And so we must cast you down, as we did to Antasma before you!"

With Bowser distracted by Dreambert, Starlow secretly flew to Mario, Luigi and their baby selves and whispered something in their ears. She then did the same thing with Peach.

"Antasma? That flappy bat? Don't compare me to him!" Bowser retorted. "Now, chumps! It's time to say good night! I'm gonna use the Dream Stone to POOF! Make you disappear!" he then held up the Dream Stone and levitated again. "Dream Stone! Disappear 'em!"

"I don't think so, Bowser!" Mario hollered.

At the same time, five golden beams of light zapped Bowser before his wish would come true.

"GROWCH!" he yelled in pain.

Where did those beams of light came from? They all came from Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and Peach, with their bodies surrounded in a golden aura. That's right; Starlow had given them her blessing in order to release the power of the Star Children within them.

"How do you like THAT action?! Feel the power of the Good Star Children!" Starlow smirked. "Consider your rampaging days over, Bowser!"

"That power… That's right! Mario, Luigi and Peach are Star Children!" Jewel beamed, realizing what had happened. "And just like my sister said, that power can only be unleashed when she or a Star Sprite give their blessing to said Star Children! Good thinking, Starlow!"

"In that case… Mario! Luigi! Princess Peach! You must destroy him and the Dream Stone!" Dreambert demanded.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Luigi flinched. "But… But… The stone…"

"Are you sure about that, Dreambert?" Mario asked.

"Do it!" Dreambert hollered. "It's better that it be destroyed here than be used for Bowser's foul plans!"

"That is a good point…" Baby Mario pointed out.

"Um… If you say so…" Starlow trailed. "Star Children, ready?"

"OK!" the Star Children replied.

"We're sorry, Dreambert!" Peach exclaimed.

With that, the Dream Stone shattered to pieces and Bowser fell down to the ground. The aura surrounding the Star Children disappears and Bowser gets up, shocked to see pieces of the Dream Stone falling down all over the place.

"What? NOOOOO! The Dream Stone!" he yelled. "NOT YET!"

In a desperate action, Bowser began to inhale the pieces of the Dream Stone into his mouth, while the heroes ducked for cover by the strong winds. Suddenly, once Bowser swallowed all of the pieces, a dark purple aura surrounds him.

"Ooogh! Pbbbth!" he gagged. "Bleargh! Gross!"

"The…Dream Stone… He inhaled its fragments!" Dreambert exclaimed in shock.

"No way…" Jewel breathed.

"That ain't good! My gut feels…" Bowser wasn't feeling good. Just then, a purple beam showed up around him. "Whoa… Hang on… The ol' bod is…" the whole place glows in a bright light, causing everyone to cover their eyes.

Once the light faded… The heroes' eyes widened at what they just saw.

"OH. MY. GOD…" Starlow spoke. "Bowser's transformed!"

"GROOAAH!" Bowser roared.

However, he was looking very different and frightening than ever: he was much larger, glowing with bright rainbow-like colors reminiscent of those of the Dream Stone, and also has objects resembling said stone on his forehead and stomach. He was now known as Dreamy Bowser.

"Unh! Yeah! I feel… POWER, BABY!" Dreamy Bowser exclaimed.

"He absorbed it all… The Dream Stone's energy…" Dreambert trailed. "This goes ill! Starlow!"

Dreambert and Starlow flew behind Dreamy Bowser and tried to hold him.

"We must try to stop…him…if we can!" Dreambert groaned, struggling to hold Dreamy Bowser back.

"Everyone! Take Peach somewhere else!" Starlow told.

Unfortunately, Dreamy Bowser shook Dreambert and Starlow off with ease.

"His… His power is just too much for us…" Starlow breathed.

"Well, at the least, I must lend Mario and his friends aid…" Dreambert said as he and Starlow used their power to restore the heroes' strength. Then…

"WHOA!" the heroes startled when a rainbow flamethrower showed up in front of them, and that of course came from Dreamy Bowser.

"Check out my flame! Yeah! I am ROCKING this new look! Oh man, I have so much power… I can do whatever I want! Peach… This island… This world… All of it… MINE! And you guys are… COOKED! IT'S TIME I GIVE YOU ALL YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE!" Dreamy Bowser yelled. At last, the final battle is about to start.

Dreamy Bowser began by shooting giant rainbow fireballs at the heroes, but they jumped over them to avoid. Then Dreamy Bowser cloned himself to shoot double the fireballs, in which the heroes had a hard time dodging them, but thankfully, Kirby inhaled most of them and even transformed into his Monster Flame Super Ability.

"FLAME DRAGON!" Monster Flame Kirby created a fiery dragon and it flies horizontally at Dreamy Bowser, dealing great damage to him and both his arms.

Dreamy Bowser then summons a giant hammer and tries to whack the heroes with it, but the adult and baby brothers countered it back with their hammers, causing Dreamy Bowser to rebound back, giving a chance for Sonic to Home Attack his stomach, knocking him to the ground on his shell.

With that, Jewel blasted him with her Blast Pink Tourmaline, followed up by Ribbon Girl's Slapamander on her right arm and her Popper on her left, and ending with the adult and baby bros stomping his stomach in unison.

Dreamy Bowser got back on his feet very annoyed, before summoning a Dreamy Airship loaded with Dreamy Shy Guys from a portal and gave the order to chase after the heroes, forcing them to run while dodging purple fireballs from the Dreamy Airship.

Once the chase ended, the Dreamy Airship stood in the background while Dreamy Bowser summons more Dreamy versions of some of his minions: Dreamy Goombas, Dreamy Shy Guys, Dreamy Bob-ombs and Dreamy Paratroopas. Dreamy Bowser moved to the background and summons chunks of meat in order to restore his health.

"Oh, hell no! Not the meat again!" Sonic hissed. "All right, I've had enough." He summons the seven Chaos Emeralds and they spun around him, increasing their speed over time. "SUPER SONIC STYLE!"

Now as Super Sonic, he flies all the way to where the Dreamy Airship was and kicks it really hard, and it knocked away the meat AND the Dreamy minions Dreamy Bowser just summoned before exploding.

"WHAT?! You pesky golden rat!" Dreamy Bowser roared angrily. But before he knew it, he was knocked back to the foreground by Super Sonic's Boost. "UGH!" he groaned.

"That's for calling me a rat!" Super Sonic retorted.

"Oh yeah? I'm not done yet!"

Dreamy Bowser suddenly pulls Luigi to his claw like a tractor beam.

"Hey! Let me go!" Luigi struggled to get out of Dreamy Bowser's grasp, but no use.

"Hey, you want him back? Go fetch!" Dreamy Bowser teased before throwing Luigi like if he was throwing a stone.

"AAAAAHHHH!"

"LUIGI!" Mario cried out.

"I got you!" Jewel suddenly used her Flight Lapis Lazuli to fly and catch Luigi before he hit the ground.

"Thanks Jewel." Luigi thanked.

"No problem."

"INCOMING!" Monster Flame Kirby yelled. Luigi and Jewel looked back to see the rest of the heroes being chased by a giant Dreamy Bowser.

"Uh oh! Run!"

The heroes ran as fast as they could, dodging streams of moving flamethrowers and a shockwave, that Dreamy Bowser created upon jumping and slamming into the ground. The chased ended when Dreamy Bowser attempted to do the same shockwave attack, but he instead landed on some spikes, deflating him back to his normal size.

"Alright! Now it's our chance! Let's use our strongest attacks to finish him off!" Jewel exclaimed.

"ALL RIGHT!" the rest yelled.

"FLAME DRAGON!" Monster Flame Kirby unleashed his fiery dragon.

"SUPER SONIC BOOST!" Super Sonic flies at high speed while boosting.

"RIBBON!" Ribbon Girl unleashes her Rush Attack.

"EXTREME DIAMOND!" Jewel takes out her Extreme Diamond, making it fire a huge sparkling light orb towards Dreamy Bowser.

"STAR ROCKET!" the baby bros used the Star Rocket that Melissa gave them and flew on it towards Dreamy Bowser after gathering as many stars as possible. The Star Rocket explodes above Dreamy Bowser and Baby Mario stomps him, followed up by Baby Luigi doing the same, and all of the stars they gathered flew into Dreamy Bowser, dealing more damage.

"ZEEKEEPER! COME TO US!" Mario takes out the Zee Egg and throws it to summon the Zeekeeper. The brothers then rode on him and flew high up in the sky, where the Zeekeeper creates a Wake Orb, making it descend towards Dreamy Bowser as he chases after it. The Zeekeeper lines up with the Wake Orb in order for Mario and Luigi to hit it with their hammers to increase its power. Once it hit its maximum power, the Wake Orb eventually explodes right on Dreamy Bowser.

With the combination of all those attacks, Dreamy Bowser roars in agony and explodes. The shockwave of that explosion was so strong that it sent the heroes flying back, and even caused Kirby's Super Ability and Sonic's Super form to disable as they were knocked back.

"GRAAR!" Bowser roared again, changing back to his original self as the heroes got back up. He was looking rather weak and tired.

Then, Baby Mario had an idea and whispered it to Baby Luigi and their older selves, and with a nod and a grin, the quartet walked towards Bowser and held out their hammers.

"Ready?" Baby Mario asked.

"Ready!" Mario, Luigi and Baby Luigi nodded.

"In three, two, one… SWING!"

With that, the baby and adult brothers swung their hammers in unison at Bowser, and the strong impact from four hammers at once was enough to send Bowser flying away in the sky, and he became nothing more than a twinkling star.

"That's a Home Run!" Baby Mario cheered, causing the rest of the heroes to chuckle.

"Hang on, Peach!" Jewel ran to Peach's cage and cut off the bars with her Extreme Diamond. "Good thing diamonds can cut any sort of material!"

"Thank you, everyone!" Peach thanked the heroes once she stepped out of the cage.

"Now everyone on this island should be safe!"

All of a sudden, the whole castle began to shake.

"Oh no! The castle is about to collapse!" Dreambert flinched.

"Oh geez, this is bad!" Luigi panicked.

"We have to go!" Mario demanded. "Let's head back to the path that brought us here! Hurry!"

They all made a run for it as they quickly went down the winding staircase, passing by all of the debris falling from the roof and the remaining huge Bob-ombs that the Elite Trio haven't thrown.

But once they exited that room, they were met with a dead end, because the path that led to the lower floors of the castle was already destroyed.

"Most of the castle has collapsed already!" Starlow exclaimed. "That is not good!"

Eventually, the platform they were on collapsed.

"AAAAHHH!" they all screamed while falling.

Just then, the Zeekeeper came flying and picked up everyone just in time before the castle exploded.

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

All of the gang was gathered in front of Pi'illo Castle; everything was at peace.

"That was such an escape!" Amy exclaimed. "Are you guys OK?"

"Yes, we're fine." Peach replied.

"Thank goodness! I was so worried!"

"Catching you guys at the last second… How cool was that?" the Zeekeeper said. "Superheroes and superdeities always show up in the clutch. Normally I'd have to hit you up for some extra coinage… But I'm feeling pretty good. This time's on the house. How nice I am? Seriously."

"Th-thank you. You are VERY kind." Mario replied and sighed in relief for not needing to pay more.

"Well, now the island should become peaceful again!" Jewel smiled.

"PRIIIIINCESS!" suddenly, Toadsworth's voice came in and he came out of the castle along with Toad, rushing to Peach. "This old boy was… WORRIED SICK!"

"Oh I'm sorry, dear Toadsworth. Thank you for thinking of me." Peach said.

"Princess Peach!" Toad exclaimed. "And Mr. Mario! Mr. Luigi! Young Mr. Mario! Young Mr. Luigi! Mr. Sonic! Mr. Kirby! Ms. Ribbon Girl! And Princess Jewel! You're all OK! And you saved us!"

"Zee scary castle of Antasma and Bowser is no more! And all is joy now, oui! Merci very much!" Broque Monsieur thanked. "Now we concentrate on work without fear, honh?"

Then, Dreambert and the Pi'illo folk arrived, with Dreambert holding a large bottle holding the pieces of the Dream Stone.

"Great Zeekeeper! Are you ready?!" Dreambert asked.

"What's that thing for?" Starlow asked.

"I enlisted the help of all the island inhabitants… We collected all the dust that burst from Bowser!"

"Oh…dear. We're so sorry…" Peach lamented. "I feel awful that I, Mario and Luigi had to break something so special…"

"Let your mind be at ease, Princess! The Dream Stone can be restored! Here, Zeekeeper! Please restore the Dream Stone for us!"

"All right! Let's do this!" the Zeekeeper exclaimed.

Dreambert flies in front of the Zeekeeper, who shot a beam of light at the bottle. Eventually, the bottle flies up to the sky, glowing in rainbow colors and once the glow faded, there stood…a giant coin?!

"WH-WHAT?!" Dreambert yelled in shock and unbelief, looking like he was about to faint at any moment.

"Bam! Check it! A DREAM COIN!" the Zeekeeper announced as everyone looked up at the sky in awe. "And with it, words of advice: Don't rely on the Dream Stone! Don't rely on THINGS! Seriously. Rely on yourselves. On each other! Throw away material crutches, and you guys will be better for it! YOU FEEL ME?! Anyway, every spiritual awakening needs some financial support… So use it well! Use that Dream Coin to make all dreams come true!" he flies up in the air. "COINS RULE! I LOVE COINS!"

Everyone went silent. That is, until Peach broke it:

"Oh my…"

"Well, at least I don't need to pay him off!" Mario chuckled.

"Yeah, I suppose having a Dream Coin isn't so bad…" Starlow supposed.

"I agree." Jewel said. "And the Zeekeeper's right. It's vital to be independent! I think we all learned a lesson: don't waste on a magical object in order to make wishes come true; we can make it happen if we rely on ourselves! If we work hard, we can make our own wishes come true."

"You have a great point there!" Starlow then turned to Dreambert, still paralyzed in shock. "Hey, Dreambert! Things worked out pretty much OK, didn't they?" but Dreambert didn't respond.

"NOT DONE YET!" the Zeekeeper's voice came as everyone looked up in the sky again. "TIME FOR A REAL… COIN DREAM!" he exclaimed as he flies right through the Dream Coin, creating a hole in it.

Eventually, the whole Dream Coin broke, sending thousands of golden coins raining down in the entire island. Everyone gasped in awe…while Dreambert finally fainted.

"Yippee! It's raining coins!" Baby Mario cheered.

"Yay!" Baby Luigi chirped.

"Zis is wonderful! Zis is excellent!" Broque Monsieur exclaimed. "Zis is zee ultimate tourist attraction!"

"That is a great idea, Broque Monsieur!" Jewel beamed. "Yeah! The golden island of endless coins for all!"

"Oh! Zis is a catchphrase, non? It has zee ring to it!"

"Absolutely!" she then turns her attention to Dreambert. "Um… Excuse me… Prince Dreambert…" no response. "Prince Dreambert?"

Dreambert slowly rose his head before standing up and floating to Jewel while saying:

"Oh, I beg your pardon… My mind was reeling…"

"I… I want to thank you for all you've done for us! I also want to thank you for reliving my memories of my past. Now I know that somewhere up there, mom and dad must be watching me. And to make father proud, I believe the Pi'illo Kingdom can be revived now!"

"It can." Dreambert smiled. "…But this overreliance on the Dream Stone… The Zeekeeper has the right of it, I deem. Hereafter, we shall unite our forces to restore the kingdom ourselves!" he turns to the heroes. "Mario. Luigi. Baby Mario. Baby Luigi. Sonic. Ribbon Girl. And Kirby. We owe you our deepest thanks. All is once again normal! The Pi'illo folk… The Pi'illo Kingdom… Not the Dream Stone, though…" he murmured at the last sentence.

"What was that?" Jewel asked.

"Nothing."

"Oh, come on! Let it go!" Starlow said, being the only one who heard Dreambert's murmur.

" ***sigh*** alright… Everyone, thank you! Thank you so much!"

He and Jewel then stood in the front of the crowd, with Jewel announcing:

"Please be at one with the ultimate vacation! Enjoy Pi'illo Island!"

"Of course!" Starlow replied.

"Yeah!" the rest joined in.

"Our true vacation starts right NOW! Everyone! Let's go!"

"ALL RIGHT!"

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, with Bowser…**_

"GAAAH!" Bowser yelled. He, Kamek and the Elite Trio were riding on the Koopa Clown Car in the skies. "Can't this tub fly faster?!"

"Your Surliness… Let's take our lumps and lay low for a bit, please…" Kamek rolled his eyes.

"Are you nuts?! This isn't on me, bub! I was a total champ! That Antasma guy just stunk it up!" Bowser suddenly turned to the Elite Trio, who started shaking in fear. "And you guys…" he turned back and responded, much to their surprise: "Well, no… Actually, you minions did pretty well by your usual standards..."

"King… King Bowser…" Private Goomp breathed.

"Thank you, sir!" Sergeant Guy thanked.

"I… I'm gonna crash. These tears of joy…" Corporal Paraplonk sniffed.

"Hear this! I will kidnap Peach OVER and OVER until I pull it off! And no one can stop me!" Bowser growled. "Losing is not an option! And neither is giving up!"

"That's why you're the boss, boss!" Private Goomp exclaimed.

"Sir, permission to call you the coolest!" Sergeant Guy appraised.

"I would follow you into a BOTTOMLESS PIT!" Corporal Paraplonk finished.

As the Clown Car flies off in the distance, Bowser gave one last message:

"I'LL BE BACK! MARIO! GREEN STA-! I MEAN, LUIGI! AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE ON TOP OF MY LIST AS WELL!"

Just then, the raining coins showed up, and Private Goomp and Sergeant Guy went crazy for them:

"Whoa, coins! COINS!" they started grabbing all the coins they could, but they were also shaking the Clown Car.

"You idiots! Stop jostling!" Bowser warned, but the Clown Car fell. Kamek and Corporal Paraplonk looked at each other and sweatdropped before following them below.

* * *

 _ **A month later, after the vacation…**_

Jewel was at her room in the castle, looking at her photo album, showing the photos taken during her vacation with her friends. The first page of the album showed two photos taken at the Pi'illo Castle area: one was a photo showing most of the gang including herself just outside of the castle, while the other photo showed Toad serving two cups of tea to Peach and Jewel inside the castle.

The second page had the photos taken in Mushrise Park: the first one showed Amy holding on to Sonic while they were getting vaulted through the air along with the babies by one of the giant springs seen around the park, while the second photo showed Mario, Kirby and Brickle fishing together, with their reflexes shown on the lake.

Jewel flipped the page, where the left page had photos taken in Dozing Sands: one showed Britta overseeing Luigi and the babies sleeping on a tube floating on the water. Kirby was on the right side of the tube Luigi and the babies were sleeping on, also sleeping in his own tube (the same white, orange and yellow tube he uses when above water in _Kirby's Return to Dream Land_ ). The second photo showed Mario and Yoshi using the Drilldigger along with Britta.

The right page had the photos taken in Wakeport: the first one showed Peach, Rouge, Starlow and Toad doing some shopping together, but poor Toad was carrying all of the things the girls bought. The second one showed Ribbon Girl and her band, the Ribbonics Records, performing on the stage at night, where the Mad Skillathon event once took place, and some of the gang could be seen in the crowd.

Another page flip, with the left one having the photos taken on Mount Pajamaja: the first one showed the adult brothers helping the baby brothers climb up the mountain along with Knuckles, the Massif Bros, and Kirby, who was puffed up. The second one showed Kylie Koopa taking a photo of Peach and two Toads posing next to one of the statues of the so-called Muscle Lords.

The right page had the photos taken on Driftwood Shore: the first photo showed Peach and Jewel holding their parasols to shield themselves from the sun while having a chat together. On the background, there was Toadsworth, Mario, Baby Mario, Kirby and Yoshi building a sandcastle. The second photo showed Luigi and Baby Luigi, who was clinging to his older self's arm, climbing a palm tree and overlooking at the distance while they were being watched by Broque Madame.

One last flip of the page, showing the four last photos, starting with the ones taken in Somnom Woods: the first one showed Bedsmith, Peach, Jewel, Toadsworth and two frightened Toads walking in the darkest part of the woods, while the second photo showed the main heroes riding on the Zeekeeper near the Pi'illo Temple.

Now for the last two photos on the last page: the first one showed Dreambert and Jewel shaking hands outside Pi'illo Castle, promising that they'll do their best at ruling the Pi'illo Kingdom together, with all of their friends watching in the background. The second one showed Kylie Koopa taking a photo of some of the story's main cast at the Pi'illo Blimport.

Having finished looking at the photos, Jewel gently closes the album, placing it on her bed, and stood up to walk towards the nearby window. As she looks through it, she speaks for herself:

"I felt really happy that I showed the Mario Brothers some of my friends. But they still don't know that I have more friends than only those ones who adventured with us. And I am so thankful for Princess Peach and her friends and subjects to come here for a vacation… I need to make a tribute for her somehow… That's it! Maybe one day I'll come to the Mushroom Kingdom and make that tribute for Peach, which would be the perfect opportunity to invite my other friends! Of course!"

She walks away from the window, and said some more final words:

"Mario, Luigi, Peach… It was an honor to meet you all. I guarantee that one day, we'll meet again…"

 **The End**

* * *

 **And done! Thank you all who supported this story for reading it! I had a lot of fun too writing it. :)  
**

 **Next up is my own remake of Paper Jam! Do not worry, because a lot of new surprises are about to come, including more characters, some new twists, a new female guide, of course, and also a new villain! Bowser and his paper self are still there, but there will be two more villains at their side as well! I will also include more about the Ancestor Team as well!**

 **Stay tuned for the next story, coming at January 20th! Fairy out! ;D**


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